LECTURES  TO  CHILDREN: 


FAMILIARLT 


HiLUSTRATING    IMPORTANT    TRUTH, 


By  rev.  JOHN  TODD,  D.  b. 

ACTHOR   OF  THB  STUDENT'S  MANUAL,   STORIES  ON  TUB  SHOETBR  OATBCHISM,   BV& 


NORTHAIilPTON : 

BRIDGMAN"     AND     CHILD  S. 

NEW  YORK: 
A.  D.  F.    RAXDOLPn  8s  CO. 

1878. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1852,  hf 

Hopkins,  Bbidqmak,  &  Compant, 

tm  Um  Clerk's  Office  of  the  Diainct  Court  o(  the  liistriot  of  AxasaM.htuetUb 


PEIFCETOIT 
REC.  NOV  IBbO 

THEOLOGIC 


PREFACE  TO  THE  ILLUSTRATED  EDITION. 


This  little  work,  after  having  passed  through  fifteer. 
editions  in  this  country,  and  we  know  not  how  many  in 
England,  after  having  been  translated  into  French,  Ger- 
man, Greek,  and  many  more  languages,  printed  in  raised 
letters  for  the  blind,  and  last  of  all,  having  been  adopted 
as  a  school-book  for  the  liberated  slaves  at  Sierra  Leone, 
is  now  sent  forth  by  the  publishers  in  a  new  dress,  with 
the  addition  of  new  Lectures.  The  only  reason  why  the 
number  was  not  much  larger  is,  that  we  wish  to  keep  it 
a  little  book  for  little  folks.  A  whole  generation  has  passed 
from  childhood  into  manhood  since  these  Lectures  were 
first  printed ;  and  though  it  claims  to  be  only  a  very  hum- 
ble instrument  of  usefulness,  yet  the  author,  from  testimony 
which  he  has  already  received  from  many  and  various  quar- 
ters, would  rather  want  renown  and  fame  among  men,  than 
to  be  without  his  hope  that  the  mission  of  this  little  work 
has  been  one  of  good  to  the  lambs  of  Christ's  flock. 

PiTTSFiELD,  October  1,  1852. 


PREFACE. 


In  "rightly  dividing  the  word,*'  it  is  a  difficult  questi!>n  to 
decide  how  and  in  what  manner  we  can  best  meet  the  spirit 
of  the  command,  **  Feed  my  Lambs."  That  children  are  a 
very  important  class  in  every  congregation,  all  admit;  that 
ministers  owe  them  some  peculiar  duties,  is  equally  plain ; 
and  that  they  are  a  difficult  part  of  the  flock  to  feed,  the  ex- 
perience of  every  one,  who  has  ever  tried  to  do  his  duty  to 
them,  will  testify.  Says  a  profound  thinker,  and  one  of  un- 
common knowledge  of  human  nature,*  **  Nothing  is  easier 
than  to  talk  to  children  ;  but  to  talk  to  them  as  they  ought  to  be 
talked  to,  is  the  very  last  effi3rt  of  ability,  v  A  man  must  have 
a  vigorous  imagination.  4  He  must  have  extensive  knowledge, 
to  call  in  illustration  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth  ;  for 
he  will  make  but  little  progress,  but  by  illustration.  It  re- 
quires great  genius,  to  throw  the  mind  into  the  habits  of 
children's  minds.  I  aim  at  this,  but  I  find  it  the  utmost 
effort  of  ability.  No  sermon  ever  put  my  mind  half  so  much 
on  the  stretch.     I  am  surprised  at  nothing  which  Dr.  Watt? 

•  Cecil. 


Preface. 

did,  but  his  Hymns  for  children.  Other  men  could  have 
written  as  well  as  he,  in  his  other  works  ;  but  how  he  wrote 
these  hymns,  I  know  not."  Happy  that  minister  who  can 
rightly  divide  the  word  of  God  to  this  portion  of  his  flock. 
Should  such  an  one  take  up  this  little  volume,  he  will  be 
very  ready  to  excuse  its  defects,  knowing  how  difficult  it  is 
to  bring  thought  down  to  the  comprehension  of  children. 

V"  It  is  an  easy  thing  to  move  the  passions  :  a  rude,  blunt, 
illiterate  attack  may  do  this.  But  to  form  one  new  figure 
for  the  conveyance  of  the  truth  to  the  mind,  is  a  difficult 
thing.  The  world  is  under  no  small  obligation  to  the  man 
who  forms  such  a  figure." 

The  best  way  of  preaching  to  children  is  to  have  them 
entirely  alone — not  an  adult  in  the  house.  You  can  then 
come  down  to  them,  and  can  interest  them.  The  next  best 
way  is  to  have  all  the  children  in  the  centre  of  the  house, 
and  the  congregation  above  and  around  them  ;  and  then  let 
the  speaker  ybr^cf,  if  he  can,  that  any  body  is  present  besides 
the  children.  This  has  been  my  method,  at  the  close  of  the 
second  service  on  the  Sabbath.  The  congregation  have 
had  permission  to  retire,  but  have,  to  an  individual,  prefer* 
red  to  remain. 


Preface. 

I  have  usually  delivered  one  of  my  "  little  Sermons " 
once  in  three  months,  supposing  this  to  be  no  more,  certainly, 
than  the  share  of  the  lambs.  The  following  Lectures  are  a 
selection  from  such  as  I  have  thus  delivered  to  the  children 
under  my  care.  My  language  and  illustrations  may  seem 
familiar  and  common-place ;  but  I  have  tried  to  talk  in 
such  a  manner,  that,  on  pausing  several  times,  and  asking 
my  little  bright  audience  what  point  had  just  been  stated  and 
illustrated,  the  child  who  could  only  lisp  should  usually  be 
able  to  throw  his  voice  in  with  the  rest  in  answering. 

I  have  thought  that  a  System  of  Theology,  embracing  all 
that  we  usually  mean  by  the  term,  and  containing  a  full, 
clear  and  condensed  view  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  might 
be  prepared  for  children  to  great  advantage.  Nor  am  I  cer- 
tain that  such  a  series  of  volumes  might  not  be  as  useful  and 
as  interesting  to  common  readers  as  to  children.  It  otight 
to  be  a  Text-book  of  the  great  Doctrines  of  the  Bible,  for 
Sabbath  Schools  and  the  young  generally.  That  I  have 
thought  of  preparing  such  a  work,  is  saying  little,  since  I 
have  not  done  it.  Possibly,  should  Providence  spare  my  life, 
and  such  a  work  be  needed,  I  may,  hereafter,  attempt  it. 


Preface. 

I  have  hoped  that  Parents  and  Sabbath  School  Teachers 
might  receive  some  hints  from  this  little  volume  which  would 
aid  them  in  the  very  difficult  work  of  illustrating  truth  to 
children.  For  no  teaching  will  do  any  good,  unless  so  plain 
that  it  cannot  be  misunderstood,  and  so  interesting  that  it 
cannot  be  forgotten. 

To  the  blessing  of  the  Great  Redeemer,  I  commend  thia 
little  book,  and  the  dear  children  who  may  read  it. 

Northampton,  May  20,  1834. 


Note. — ^The  unexpected  fact,  that  the  Publisher  requests  a 
revised  copy  for  a  new  edition,  in  less  than  three  weeks  after 
the  first  edition  was  out,  encourages  the  Author  to  hope  that  he 
has  not  misjudged  as  to  the  usefulness  of  this  little  work. 

June  7, 1834. 


CONTENTS. 


LECTURE    I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 
Feed  my  lambs. — John  21.  15. 

**aRTY  in  the  grove.  Food  cut  fine.  What  will  be  done  1  Bad  apple. 
Indian  book.  Twenty  stags.  Think  right.  Mind  always  I  jinking.  Ask 
questions.  Two  men  in  the  Temple.  Weeds  in  the  garden.  White 
rabbit.  Is  it  sundown  ?  The  regulator.  What  a  little  boy  may  be.  The 
fairy  and  the  diamond.  A  gem  in  the  Saviour's  crown.  The  rose  trans 
planted.     Children's  drawer.     More  hereafter. 


LECTURE    II. 


No 


HOW  DO   WE   KNOW  THERE   IS   ANY  GOD  T 
man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time. — John  1.  18. 


Why  God  called  by  this  name.  Paris  and  London.  Did  any  body  ever  see 
God?  The  wind  and  trees.  Any  body  ever  see  pain?  Hunger.  Love. 
Eyes  put  out  and  ears  deaf.  A  child  can  think  without  eyes  and  ears. 
The  watch  in  the  case.  Proof  of  God  The  meeting-house.  What  the 
meeting-house  made  for.  A  meetii)g-house  built  by  chance!  The  silk- 
worm.  The  dead  rabbit  and  birds  The  cow  and  horse  seeing  a  painting. 
The  mind  is  glad.  The  body  is  a  house  for  the  soul.  The  new  book 
God  made  things.  The  rainbow,  flowers,  and  fruits,  made  by  God.  God 
seen  plainly.     When  ought  a  child  to  think  of  God  ?     The  sincere  wish. 


10 

('oiitents. 

LECTURE    III. 

PFPENTANCK  FOR  SLN. 

They  loent  out  and  preached  that  men  shoula  repent. — 

Mark  6.   12. 

A  hard  word  used.  The  hard  word  explained.  Nothing  good  without  pay. 
Who  need  repentance,  (.'hrit-t's  ttslimony  Great  question.*  Two  kinds 
of  money.  Two  trees.  Stoky.  The  sick  father.  Little  boy's  false- 
hood. The  tender  look  The  dying  father.  Death  arrived.  The  burial. 
Repentance  at  the  grave.  A  few  plain  remarks.  God  not  loved.  The 
discontented  boy — the  storm— the  Bible — his  repentance.  Who  have 
sinned  ?  Stopping  in  sin.  The  Indian  and  his  rum.  Hands  full.  Con- 
clusion. 

LECTURE    IV. 

ANGELS'  JOY   WHKN    SINNERS    REPENT. 

There  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the  angels  of  God  over  one 
sinner  that  repenteth. — Luke  15.  10. 

Who  ever  saw  an  angel  ?  What  anjrels  do.  Many  ancels.  How  do  they 
feel?  Why  they  rejoice.  First  reason.  Home.  Whom  have  they  seen  7 
The  poor  boy.  What  is  an  eye  worth  ?  What  is  the  soul  worth  ?  The 
second  reason.  The  sick  child  The  little  boy  drowning.  The  boy 
recovered.  The  brazen  serpent.  Three  remarks.  What  people  talk 
about.  Piece  of  gold.  What  men  love.  Sleeping  out  of  doors.  Bitter 
medicine.     The  broken  arm.     The  last  remark. 

LECTURE    V. 

WHAT  FAITH   IS,  AND   WHAT   ITS   USE   IS. 
Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  him. — Heb.  11.  6. 

liCCture  to  be  made  plain.  Different  kinds  of  faith.  The  little  girl  who  wat 
generous.     Faith  rewarded,  and  made  plain.     The  glass  beads.     Faith  in  > 


11 

Contents. 

father.  The  storm  at  sea.  Faith  in  God.  Casting  bread  on  the  waters. 
Sowing  rice.  The  old  man  and  his  son.  The  house  of  the  slave.  The 
mother's  faith.  Faith  in  Christ.  Failing  into  the  river.  Faith  leads  to 
obey  God — to  do  good.  The  dying  mother.  Faith  comforts  us.  The 
dead  boy's  lantern. 

LECTURE    VI. 

GOD    WILL   TAKE   CARK   OF    US. 

Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field ^  hoio  they  grow  ;  they  toil  nol^ 
neither  do  they  spin.  And  yet  I  say  unto  ynu^  that  even 
Solomon^  in  all  his  glory  ^  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these. 
—Matt.  6.  28,  29. 

How  Christ  preached.  The  rich  man.  God  is  very  rich  Hogshead  of  gold. 
Many  cattle.  Servants.  Little  boy  and  his  sister  Charge  to  angels,  and 
beautiful  illustration.  The  garden  lily.  The  cold  winter  and  the  lily. 
The  pond.  Sermon  by  a  lily.  The  poor  heathen  child.  His  lonely  feel- 
ings. Comes  to  America.  His  death.  Sailing  of  the  missionaries.  The 
hymn.  The  gospel  received.  The  weeping  mother.  The  ostrich  in  the 
wilderness.     Sorrows  to  come.     When  will  God  be  a  friend  ? 

LECTURE    VIl. 

JESUS   CHRIST  TASTING    DEATH 

Jesus — who  J  by  the  grace  of  God^  should  taste  death  for  every 
man. — Hkb.  2.  9. 

Figurative  language.  Fields  smiling.  The  sea  afraid.  Meaning  of  the  teat. 
How  they  used  to  put  people  to  death.  Socrates'  death.  Long  row  of 
prisoners.  Christ  drinking  the  cup  of  poison.  Children  of  Israel.  The 
court-house.  The  young  prisoner.  His  plea.  His  home.  His  family. 
The  parting.  Killing  his  parents.  The  compassionate  judge.  The  par- 
don. Christ  died  for  ua  All  saved  ?  The  hospital  The  house  for  au 
*he  blind.     Ottered  to  all.     A  question  answered.     Light  for  all.     Watei 


12 

Contents. 

for  all.  Salvation  of  Christ  free.  A  thing  to  be  remembered.  The  story 
of  the  slave.  The  good  man.  The  slave  bought.  Ingratitude.  All  men 
slaves.     John  Howard.     Four  things  to  be  done. 

LECTURE    VIII. 

CHRIST   INTERCEDING  FOR   US. 
He  ever  livetli  to  make  intercession. — Heb.  7.  25. 

The  name  of  Washington.  We  all  want  a  friend.  The  poor  Indian  and  his 
child.  Christ  is  such  a  friend  as  we  need.  Children's  troubles.  The 
three  friends.  The  real  friend.  Story  applied.  Christ  is  the  real  friend. 
When  most  needed.  The  just  king  and  his  laws.  Christ's  manner  of  in- 
terceding. High  treason.  The  wife  and  ten  children.  The  pardon.  How 
is  Christ's  intercession  different  ?  The  child  in  prison.  The  two  brothers. 
Four  things  in  Christ.  He  is  worthy.  He  knows  our  wants.  Ever  lives. 
Never  changes.     The  waters  quench  not  his  love. 

LECTURE    IX. 

GIVING    ACCOUNT  TO   GOD. 

Every  one  of  us  shall  give  account  of  himself  to  God. — Rom. 

14.  12. 

Plaintext.  The  stranger.  His  account  of  himself  How  different  from  the 
account  to  God.  The  merchant.  Account  of  one  of  these  boys.  Fields, 
horses,  and  plants,  called  to  account.  Tlie  plant  producing  no  flower.  How 
a  father  feels.  The  house  burned.  The  soul  poisoned.  The  father's  feel- 
ings over  a  murdered  child.  Every  one  must  give  account.  How  can 
children  sin  ?  How  much  does  a  child  sin  7  The  little  rattlesnake. 
What  murder  is.  Anger.  The  Bible  destroyed.  The  bones  broken 
The  Sabbath  lost.  The  child  killing  people.  Conscience.  The  fru't 
trees.    The  broken  bowi.    Three  directions.    The  Roman  emperor. 


13 

Contents. 

LECTURE    X. 

GREAT  EVENTS  HANG  ON  LITTLE  THINGS. 
A  certain  man  drew  a  how  at  a  venture. — 1  Kings  22.  34. 

The  man  and  his  bow  and  arrow.  What  an  arrow  can  do.  The  subject 
stated.  The  ship-yard.  The  wormy  stick.  The  leaky  ship.  The  result. 
The  child  and  the  acorn.  The  oak.  The  result.  The  light-house  re- 
moved. A  little  mistake.  Ship  and  lives  lost.  Result.  Great  fires  in 
the  forest.  Little  boy  playing  with  fire.  The  spark  caught.  The  mother 
of  Mohammed.  The  consequence.  How  it  is  with  these  children. 
What  the  subject  teaches.  The  child  did  not  tell  a  lie.  The  tongue. 
Company.  Every  day.  The  little  stream.  The  last  thing  taught  by  this 
subject 

LECTURE    XL 

FRAGMENTS  ALL  TO  BE  SAVED. 

Gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain^  that  nothing  he  lost, — 

John  6.  12. 

The  goldsmith's  shop.  The  mountains  weighed.  The  stars  named.  The 
little  gleaners.  Christ  feeding  the  multitude.  Wrong  to  waste  things. 
Wrong  to  waste  money.  The  deep  river.  Brimstone  matches.  The  ex- 
pensive drink.  Hamilton's  duel.  Life  wasted.  The  sailor's  dream.  The 
ring.  The  ring  lost.  Burning  mountains.  The  ring  recovered.  The 
dream  supposed  to  be  true  and  real.  Limbs  lost.  The  Bible  wasted. 
The  mind  ruined.    Six  things  seen.    The  soul — the  soul. 

LECTURE    XII. 

THE  SABBATH  TO   BE   KEPT   HOLY. 
Rememher  the  Sabhath  day,  to  keep  it  holy. — Ex.  20.  8. 

i'lcture-books.  Parables  of  Christ.  A  new  parable.  The  offer.  Th« 
wreck  of  the  ship.    The  Life-Boat.    The  life-boat  in  use.    The  parable 


14 

Contents. 

explained.  The  foolish  excuses.  Who  would  be  a  thief?  The  poor 
beggar.  The  house  broken  open.  Little  thieves.  What  makes  people 
poor.  A  strong  reason.  Storv  by  the  author.  Duty  put  off.  The  schoo) 
not  together.  The  foolish  superstition.  What  makes  a  man  stupid  1 
The  corpse.  Mill  going  on  the  Sabbath.  Little  boy  crushed  by  the  wheel. 
Sad  thoughts.     Scene  remembered.     Instruction.     Poetry.     Conclusion. 

LECTURE    XIII. 

THE  GRAVE   LOSING   ITS   VICTORY. 
O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ? — 1  Cor.  15.  55, 

Vapor  of  morning.  Garden-flowers.  What  is  a  buoy  ?  The  drowning  man 
clinging  to  the  buoy.  Morning  after  the  storm.  Who  must  die.  The 
twins.  Beautiful  poetry.  Who  can  die  happy  ?  My  si.>-ter's  grave — and 
the  two  little  boys.  Reflections  in  a  grave-yard.  The  soul  lives  after  the 
body  dies.  The  humming-bird.  The  island.  The  adventurer^his  re- 
turn— his  tidings — his  death.  Meaning  of  the  story.  The  Christian's 
death.  Angels'  conversation.  Beautiful  description  of  heaven.  Con 
elusion. 

LECTURE    XIV. 

HEAVEN. 
In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heaven.- — Genesis  I.  1. 

Shape  of  the  earth.  Inside  of  the  world.  High  chimneys.  Creating  and 
forming  things.  Light  first  made.  The  three  heavens.  First  heaven. 
Second  and  third  heavens.  Guiding  the  stars.  Idea  of  the  third  heaven. 
Beautiful  things.  What  a  throne  will  be.  Society  of  heaven.  How  they 
look  in  heaven.  Why  the  berutiful  things  of  earth  not  to  be  saved.  Oui 
friends.     Is  heaven  a  place  ? 


LECTURES  TO  CHILDREN. 


LECTURE   I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 
Feed  my  lamhs. — John  21.  15, 

Contents. — Party  in  the  grove.  Food  cut  fine.  What  will  be  done  ?  BiJ 
apple.  Indian  book.  Twenty  stags.  Think  right.  Mind  always  think- 
ing. Ask  questions.  Two  men  in  the  Temple.  Weeds  in  the  garden 
White  rabbit.  Is  it  sundown  1  The  regulator.  What  a  little  boy  may 
be.  The  fairy  and  the  diamond.  A  gem  in  the  Saviour's  crown.  The 
^ose  transplanted.    Children's  drawer.    More  hereafter. 

Children,  suppose  now  that  we  and  a  great 
many  more  children  were  met  in  a  beautiful 
grove  on  a  bright,  summer  day.  For  some  hours 
we  ramble  over  the  hills  and  climb  the  rocks, 
pluck  the  flowers  around  us  and  listen  to  the 
singing  of  the  birds.  We  then  come  together  in 
a  very  shady  spot,  where  there  is  a  cool  spring  of 
pure  water.  Here  we  find  a  long  table  spread 
and  loaded  with  all  manner  of  good  things  to  eat 


16  INTRODUCTORY.  [Lect.  I 


Food  cut  fine. 


Suppose,  too,  that  I  am  the  only  grown-up  person 
with  all  these  children,  and  that  I  am  wishing  to 
see  that  they  all  have  a  good  share  of  the  things 
to  eat.  Should  I  do  wrong,  or  do  right,  to  go 
round  and  cut  the  bread  and  the  meat  for  each 
child,  and  cut  it  so  fine  that  each  one  could  eat 
with  comfort  ?  *'  Right,"  you  say,  I  should  do 
right,  and  I  ought  to  cut  the  meat  very  fine  so 
that  all  might  have  a  share.  Well,  then,  when 
I  come  to  feed  the  minds  of  children,  instead  of 
their  mouths,  ought  I  not  to  cut  the  food  very 
fine  ?  I  mean,  ought  I  not  to  speak  very  plain, 
and  to  use  such  words  as  each  child  can  under- 
stand ?  "  Yes,"  you  say,  "  you  should  be  very 
plain  and  easy  to  be  understood."  This,  then, 
is  the  reason  why  I  shall  talk  so  plain,  that  every 
child,  even  that  very  little  girl  who  has  but  just 
learned  to  read,  can  know  what  I  mean. 

You  know,  children,  that,  when  you  see  a  man 
very  busy  with  his  tools,  you  think  he  is  making 
something.     You  may  not  be  able  to  see  what  il 


Lect.  I.J  INTRODUCTORY.  17 

What  will  be  done  ? 

is,  but  the  timber,  and  the  chips  cut  off,  and  the 
tools  about,  and  the  man  at  hard  work,  all  show 
jou  that  he  wishes  to  make  something.  So  if 
you  had  seen  me  when  1  took  the  sheet  ot*  pa- 
per out  of  my  drawer,  and  began  to  write  this 
little  book  of  Lectures,  jou  would  have  supposed 
I  had  something  which  I  wish  to  bring  about. 
And  so  1  have.  There  are  four  things  1  wish  to 
do  by  these  Lectures, — all  for  jour  good,  and  all 
which  will  be  done,  if  you  will  help  me.  Let  me 
talk  a  few  minutes  about  each  of  these  four  things. 
L  /  ivish  to  make  you  love  to  read, 
+  Cattle,  birds,  and  dogs  cannot  read.  They 
have  good  eyes,  and  good  ears,  and  good  mouths 
and  tongues,  and  yet  they  cannot  read.  Not  so 
the  child.  He  is  created  in  the  image  and  like- 
ness of  God,  and  no  wonder  he  can  read.  But 
you  might  go  through  an  orchard  that  had  a 
hundred  trees  in  it,  and  yet  not  find  more  than  a 
single  tree  that  bore  good   fruit.      So  you   might 

see  a  whole  book-case  filled  with  books,  and  not 
2 


18  INTRODUCTORY.  [LKCt.  I. 

Bad    apple. 

more  than  one  or  two  good  books  among  them 
all.  But  a  bad  book  is  not  like  a  bad  apple. 
The  bad  apple  tastes  bad  the  moment  you  bite 
it ;  but  a  bad  book,  like  some  poisonous  fruits, 
may  be  pleasant  while  you  eat  it,  but  hurts  you 
afterwards. 

How  many  pure  and  beautiful  things  may  we 
read  in  a  single  little  book  !  A  small  box  may 
contain  a  great  many  choice  jewels  !  For  my 
part,  when  a  child,  and  ever  since,  I  have  loved 
to  meet  a  book,  and  always  feel  that  I  have  met 
a  friend.  Once,  when  in  the  deep  wilderness,  1 
was  on  a  river  in  a  little  boat.  It  was  very  far 
from  any  body.  When  we  came  to  a  place  where 
the  river  was  full  of  rocks,  and  where  the  water 
ran  and  dashed  against  the  rocks,  we  knew  we 
must  carry  the  boat  round  through  woods.  Here 
we  found  a  blind  little  path,  where  the  Indians 
used  to  carry  their  canoes.  We  found  that  many 
years  ago  they  had  written  a  small  book,  contain- 
'ng  a  history  of  their  travels  and  hunting,  and 


LzcT.  1  ]  INTRODUCTORY.  21 

Indian  book.  Twenty  stags. 

left  it  here  !  And  what  kind  of  a  book  do  you 
suppose  it  was  ?  It  was  a  part  of  a  cedar  hewn 
off,  and  then  on  the  standing  tree,  with  a  piece 
of  charcoal,  they  had  made  a  picture  of  a  canoe, 
with  her  front  pointed  doivn  the  river,  to  show 
which  way  they  went.  In  the  canoe  was  the 
picture  of  two  Indians,  each  with  a  paddle  in  his 
hand,  and  a  dog  between  them  ;  then  below  was 
a  picture  of  a  deer's  head  with  great  branching 
horns,  to  show  that  they  had  been  hunting  deer, 
and  the  number  20,  to  show  that  they  had  killed 
twenty  bucks  or  stags  in  their  hunt.  This  was 
the  Indian  book.  But  how  little  did  it  teach  us! 
It  showed  that  some  time,  a  long  time  ago,  two 
Indians  had  passed  that  way  with  their  dog,  and 
that  in  their  hunt  they  hcid  killed  twenty  stags. 
But  it  told  us  not  who  they  were,  where  they  had 
been,  where  going,  or  any  valuable  information. 
In  a  wilderness  it  was  pleasant  to  read  even  such 
a  poor  book  as  that,  but  how  much  better  to  have 
good  printed  books  full  of  good  reading!      Learn 


22  INTRODUCTORY.  [Lect.  i 

Think  right. 

to  love  to  read  when  a  child,  and  jou  will  have 
pleasures  all  the  way  through  life.  You  will 
never  find  a  rainy  day  tedious,  nor  a  journey 
lonely,  nor  even  a  sick  bed  wearisome,  if  you 
can  read.  Books  contain  the  best  thoughts  that 
men  ever  had,  and  when  we  open  them,  though 
the  authors  may  be  dead,  yet  we  seem  to  hear 
their  voices  coming  to  us  kind  and  pleasant,  like 
far-off  music  at  evening  twilight. 

2.  /  icish  to  teach  you  to  think  right. 
Children,  have  you  never  found  a  boy  or  a  girl 
alone,  talking  to  himself,  or  herself?  And  if  you 
have,  did  you  not  notice  that  they  stopped  and 
were  ashamed  when  discovered  ?  The  reason 
vyas,  that  they  were  talking  out  their  thoughts 
just  as  they  rose  up  in  the  mind,  and  they  knew 
these  thoughts  were  foolish,  if  they  had  been 
repeating  over  the  ten  commandments,  or  even 
the  multiplication  table,  they  would  not  have  felt 
ashamed.  Now  the  mind  of  every  child  is  always 
thinking ;  but  the  thoughts  are  not  of  any  value^ 


Uct.  1]  INTRODUCTORY.  23 

Mind  always  thinking. 

— they  do  not  think  to  any  good  purpose.  What 
1  wish  is,  to  teach  you  to  think  that  wliich  is  of 
some  use.  You  know  a  garden  will  l)ear  weeds 
in  great  plenty,  if  we  are  not  careful.  It  will 
soon  all  run  to  waste,  if  left  to  itself.  So  the 
mind  will  run  to  waste  if  not  taught  to  think  right. 
This  is  the  reason  why  I  ask  you  questions,  and 
explain  things,  perhaps  tell  you  little  stories,  and 
make  comparisons, — so  that  you  may  learn  to 
think   right. 

If  a  man  thinks  wrong  about  God,  or  the  Bi- 
ble, he  will  do  wrong.  If  he  thinks  that  God 
cares  not  what  a  man  thinks,  or  feels,  or  says,  or 
does,  he  will  not  care  himself.  If  he  thinks  that 
the  Bible  can  teach  him  nothing  good,  he  will  not 
read  it.  If  he  thinks  he  may  he  selfish  and  live 
only  for  himself,  he  will  be  likely  to  do  so.  Or 
if  a  man  learns  to  let  his  thoughts  run  loose  like 
a  horse  without  bridle  or  halter,  like  the  horse 
they  will  be  of  no  use.  "^I  want  you  to  be  able  to 
think  quick,  and  hard,  and  correctly.     Then  you 


24  INTRODUCTORV.  [Lkct.  1 

Ask  questions.  Two  men  in  the  Temple. 

will  not  onlj  understand  such  books  as  jou  read, 
but  will  enjoj  them,  and  relish  them  the  more  .if 
they  contain  a  great  deal  to  make  jou  think.  A 
boy  sometimes  goes  away  from  home,  and  visits  a 
factory,  or  a  ship,  or  a  coal-mine,  or  some  such 
thing.  He  sees  many  new  things.  He  remem- 
bers them  all,  and  goes  home  and  talks  about 
them  and  asks  questions  about  them.  Just  so  I 
want  you  should  learn  to  notice  the  new  thoughts 
you  find  in  this  little  book,  and  then  that  you  talk 
them  over,  and  ask  questions  about  them  till  you 
understand  them  fully.  Will  you  try  to  do  it  ? 
3.  /  iva7it  to  teach  you  to  feel  right. 
Did  you  ever  read  a  little  story  which  Christ 
told  of  two  men  who  went  up  to  the  great  Tem- 
ple at  Jerusalem  to  pray  ?  The  story  is  veiy 
beautiful.  One  of  them  felt  that  he  was  good, 
and  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  thank  God 
that  he  was  so  much  better  tiian  other  people. 
"  God,"  says  he,  *'  1  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as 
other  men  !  "     The  other  man  felt  that  he  was  a 


UCT.  1.]  IJSTRODUCTORY.  25 

Weeds  in  the  garden. 

poor,  sinful  creature.  So  he  looked  on  the  ground, 
and  never  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  struck  his  breast, 
and  stood  avvav  oflf  in  a  corner  and  said,  *'  God 
be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  (Luke  18.  13.) 
Now  these  men  both  felt, — but  one  felt  right  and 
the  other  wrong,  and  God  looked  upon  them  very 
differently.  He  blessed  the  humble  man,  and  let 
the  other  go  away  in  his  pride  and  folly.  So  he 
always  does. 

You  know,  children,  that  if  a  man  neglects  his 
garden,  and  does  not  sow  good  seed  and  take  care 
of  it,  the  garden  will  shortly  be  covered  with 
weeds.  Weeds  grow  naturally,  but  vines  and 
good  roots  do  not.  Just  so  will  wrong  feelings 
come  in  and  grow  up  in  the  heart  of  a  child,  un- 
less he  takes  pains  to  feel  right.  You  must  know 
when  you  feel  right,  and  when  you  feel  wrong. 
Perhaps  you  think  you  cannot  tell.  But  let  us 
see.  Suppose  a  child  is  unwilling  to  obey  his 
parents,  and  frets  when  told  to  do  any  thing,  and 
either  does  not  do  it,  or  goes  murmuring, — does 


26  INTRODUCTORY.  [Lect.  I. 

White  rabbit.  Is  it  sundown  ? 

he  feel  right  or  wrong?  Suppose  he  wants  what 
his  parents  feel  will  not  be  good  for  him,  or  what 
thej  cannot  afford  to  buy,  and  then  he  cries  and 
frets, — does  he  feel  right  or  wrong?  Suppose  a 
little  boy  sees  another  boy  have  a  toy,  or  a  white 
rabbit,  and  he  wishes  he  had  it,  and  wishes  he 
could  steal  it  and  have  nobody  know  it, — does  he 
feel  right  or  wrong  ?  A  little  boy  once  was  told 
that  he  must  not  play  because  it  was  the  Sabbath. 
He  asked,  When  will  the  Sabbath  end  ?  He  was 
told,  not  till  the  sun  was  down.  Then  he  thought, 
he  wished  the  sun  was  down  and  the  Sabbath  gone, 
and  he  wished  that  God  would  not  make  any  Sab- 
bath, and  he  wished  that  he  could  go  out  and  play 
and  nobody  know  it, —  did  he  feel  right  or  WTong? 
Now  I  want  you  to  feel  right  at  all  times,  in 
all  places,  and  on  all  subjects.  The  reasons  are 
three; — first,  it  will  make  you  very  happy;  sec- 
ondly, it  will  make  others  very  happy;  and,  third- 
ly, it  will  please  God.  Are  not  these  reasons  pla/n 
ones  and  good  ones  ? 


Lect.   I.]  INTRODUCTORY.  27 

The  regulator. 

4.  /  wish  to  have  you  do  right. 

Did  you  ever  see  the  inside  of  a  watch,  chil- 
dren ?  Well,  there  are  wheels  and  iittle  posts, 
and  the  like,  and,  among  other  things,  there  is  a 
little  fine  spring,  so  small  that  it  looks  like  a  haii 
curled  up.  This  little  spring  is  called  the  regu- 
lator, because  it  regulates  the  watch.  If  it  be 
drawn  too  tight,  the  watch  goes  too  slow.  If  it 
be  too  loose,  the  watch  goes  too  fast.  It  wants 
to  be  just  right.  The  regulator  wants  to  be  reg- 
ulated. And  there  is  in  each  of  you  something 
that  does  the  work  of  that  little  spring.  It  is 
called  the  conscience;  that  which  tells  us  when 
we  do  right  and  when  we  do  wrong.  The  con- 
science is  the  regulator.  But  how  shall  we  know 
when  that  is  right  ?  I  replj,  by  the  Bible  ;  that 
will  always  tell  us  whether  our  conscience  is  too 
tight  or  too  loose.  A  good  book,  like  the  Bible, 
will  help  you  to  have  your  conscience  regulated 
and  right ;  and  then  you  will  act  right,  and  do 
right. 


28  INTRODUCTOFIY.  [Lect.  1 

What  a  little  boy  may  be. 

I  have  seen  little  bojs  at  work  in  the  corn- 
field, or  in  the  garden,  or  at  school.  I  could  not 
tell  what  thej  would  become,  or  what  they  would 
do,  in  after  life.  But  T  have  known  some  of  them 
to  grow  up  to  be  good  and  valuable  farmers,  some 
mechanics,  some  physicians,  and  some  of  them 
ministers  of  the  Gospel.  When  I  see  a  child,  1 
never  know  what  he  will  become  ;  but  I  know 
that  he  may  become  an  angel  in  God's  kingdom 
for  ever,  if  he  will  be_good  and  do_good.  And 
though  I  may  not  know  the  child  that  reads  this 
little  book, — perhaps  shall  never  see  him  in  this 
world, — jet  I  hope  I  shall  hereafter  see  him  in 
God's  holy  kingdom,  with  a  crown  of  life  on  his 
head  and  a  harp  of  gold  in  his  hand. 

I  have  somewhere  read  the  story  of  a  fairy  to 
whom  was  given  a  rough-looking  stone  to  polish. 
She  went  to  work  and  turned  it  over  and  over, 
and  rubbed  it  and  polished  it,  till  it  began  to  be 
smooth,  then  to  be  bright,  and  then  to  sparkle  like 
fire,  till  at  last  from  the  rough  stone  she  polished. 


UcT.  l-l  INTRODUCTORY.  29 

The  fairy   and  the  diamond. 

and  brought  out  a  diamond  such  as  would  delight 
any  kino;  to  wear  in  his  crown.  Had  any  one 
seen  the  fairy  when  she  first  began,  he  might  have 
thought  she  was  doins  a  useless  and  a  foolish 
thing  ;  but  who  would  not  like  to  own  such  a 
gem  after  it  is  once  polished  ?  The  little  child  is 
like  that  rough  stone.  It  might  seem  to  some  thai 
it  is  of  little  consequence  whether  he  has  any 
books,  or  what  books  they  are ;  but  I  know  that 
every  child  may  become  like  a  polished  diamond 
in  the  crown  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, — to  be 
beautiful  and  glorious  for  ever.  If  I  can  do  any 
thing  towards  polishing  such  a  gem,  ought  I  not 
to  be  anxious  to  do  it  ?  And  if  I  may  do  any 
part  of  this  work  by  these  Lectures,  shall  I  not 
have  reason  to  rejoice  for  ever  ?  These  gems  are 
to  be  among  the  glory  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  day 
when  he  is  crowned. 

"  A  babe  into  existence  came, 
A  feeble,  helpless,  suffering  frame : 


30  INTRODUCTORY.  [Lect.  1 


A  gem  in  the  Saviour's  crown. 


It  breathed  below  a  little  while, 

Then  vanished  like  a  tear,  a  smile. 

That  springs  and  falls,  that  peers  and  parts,        *' 

The  joy,  the  grief,  of  loving  hearts. 

The  grave  received  the  body  dead, 

Where  all  that  live  must  lay  their  head. 

Sank  then  the  soul  to  dust  and  gloom. 

Worms  and  corruption,  in  the  tomb  ? 

No !  in  '  the  rainbow  round  the  throne,' 

Caught  up  to  paradise,  it  shone. 

And  still  it  shines,  until  the  day 

When  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away, 

And  those  that  sleep  in  Jesus  here 

With  him  in  glory  shall  appear ; 

Then  will  that  soul  and  body  meet, 

And,  when  his  jewels  are  complete, 

'Midst  countless  millions,  form  a  gem 

In  the  Redeemer's  diadem  ! " 

In  the  Bible,  the  fairest  who  die  are  called 
flowers ;  and  I  have  often  looked  into  the  coffin 
of  the  fair  and  beautiful  child,  and  thought  of 
imagery.  I  have  often  thought  that  Christ  some- 
times treats  the  little  child  as  a  gardener  would 


lect.  i.j  introductory.  31 

'i'lie  rose  transplanted.  Children's  drawer. 

a  rose.  The  little,  beautiful  rose  hangs  on  its  frail 
stem  on  the  hill-side.  The  storm  has  beaten  it 
down  into  the  dirt,  and  it  is  soiled  and  injured. 
The  gardener  takes  hold  of  it,  shakes  off  the  dust, 
and  then  pulls  it  up  and  transplants  it  into  his 
garden,  where  he  can  nurse  it,  and  shelter  it,  and 
cause  it  to  grow  and  bloom.  Thus  heaven  is 
called  Paradise  in  the  Bible, — as  if  it  were  a  most 
beautiful  garden, — where  undying  flowers  shall 
blossom  for  ever.  And  thus  Christ  often  seems 
to  say  to  the  beautiful  little  child,  "  Poor  one ! 
the  storms  and  the  frosts  and  winds  are  too  rough 
for  thee  here, — and  so  I  will  take  thee  up  and 
place  thee  in  my  own  garden  above,  where  thou 
mayest  live  and  bloom  for  ever  and  ever!"  Shall 
I  not,  then,  try  to  do  what  1  can  to  make  these 
flowers  worthy  the  notice  and  the  love  of  the  great 
Redeemer? 

Sometimes,  when  I  have  done  my  day's  work, 
I  look  into  a  particular  drawer  in  which  I  keep 
such  papers  as  I  have  begun  to  write  something  on 


32  mTRO^:>^^CTORY.  [Lect    1 

More  hereafter. 

to  be  printed ;  and  when  I  see  a  paper  on  which 
1  have  begun  to  write  for  children,  I  say  to  my- 
self, "  See  there  !  I  have  not  written  a  word*  for 
children  for  a  long  time.  Perhaps,  if  1  should 
write,  there  is  some  little  boy  or  some  little  girl, 
it  may  be  far  away  among  the  mountains,  or  on 
the  smooth  prairie  of  the  West,  or  in  the  crowded 
city, — some  bright  little  child, — who  would  read 
what  I  should  write,  and  thus  I  might  speak  to 
him  though  far  away,  and  though  I  shall  never 
see  him!  And  perhaps  what  I  shall  say  would 
be  read  and  thought  of  when  I  am  dead  and 
gone,  and  thus  I  may  be  doing  good  for  a  long 
time  to  come  !  "  And  then  I  shut  the  drawer  and 
feel  sorry  that  I  have  done  no  more  for  my  little 
readers,  and  say  to  myself,  ''I  will  do  more  here- 
after I  "  And  I  pray  that  I  may  not  only  do  so, 
but  that  1  may  so  write  that  I  shall  meet  many 
of  my  little  friends  in  heaven,  and  with  them 
praise  the  Saviour  for  ever  and  ever!     Amen. 


33 


LECTURE   II. 

HOW  no  WE  KNOW  THERE  IS  ANY  GOD  T 
No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time. — John  1.   18 

CoBTENTS. — Why  God  called  by  this  name.  Paris  and  London.  !>•  any 
body  ever  see  God  I  The  wind  and  trees.  Any  body  ever  see  uain  t 
Hunger.  Love.  Eyes  put  out  and  ears  deaf.  A  child  can  think  vv.ihout 
eyes  and  ears.  The  watch  in  the  case.  Proof  of  God.  The  mtyctiag- 
house.  What  the  meeting-house  made  for.  A  meeting-house  bu..t  by 
chance!  The  silk-worm.  The  dead  rabbit  and  birds.  The  cow  ^nd 
horse  seeing  a  painting.  The  mind  is  glad.  The  body  is  ?.  house  for  'h* 
soul.  The  new  book.  God  made  things.  The  rainbow,  flowers  said 
fruits,  miide  by  God.  God  seen  plainly.  When  ought  a  child  to  think  oi 
God.    The  sincere  wish. 

Children  have  heard  a  great  deal  said  abode 
God.  Our  forefatfiers,  a  great  while  ago,  usrJ 
to  call  him  '^tlie  Goud.'^^  We  shorten  tlie  word  :» 
little,  and  call  him  God;  but  it  means  the  saiiiH 
thing, — good.     And  they  gave  him  that  name  he- 


34.  THERE  IS  A  GOD.  [Lect.  2 


Paris  and  London.      Did  any  body  ever  see  (iod  ?     The  wind  and  trees 

cause  he  is  so  good  to  men.  but  I  am  going  to 
ask  these  children  a  question.  How  do  }  ou  know 
there  is  any  God?  Have  you  ever  seen  him? 
No;  for  ''  no  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time." 

Are  we  sure  there  are  things  in  the  world 
which  we  never  saw  ?  Yes,  a  great  many.  You 
never  saw  Paris,  or  London;  and  yet  you  know 
there  are  such  places.  *  How  do  you  kuQw  ?  You 
know  because  others  have  been  there  and  seen 
them. 

Now,  suppose  nobody  had  ever  seen  those  cit- 
ies, could  you  know  there  were  such  cities  ?  No. 
How,  then,  do  you  know  there  is  any  God?  Is  it 
because  the  men  who  \ATottrHhe  Bible  say  there  is 
a  God?  But  how  do  they  know?  They  never  saw 
God.  Can  we  believe  there  is  any  thing  which 
nobody  ever  saw?     Yes,  a  great  many  things. 

Go  to  the  window  some  cold  day.  Do  you 
see  the  trees  rocking,  and  the  limbs  swinging  and 
bending,  and  the  leaves  all  flying  about  ?    \Vhat 


Leci.  2.1  THERE  IS  A  (iOD.  35 


Any  body  ever  see  pain  T  Hiir.ger.  L«  •  « 


makes  them  do  so  ?  Can  any  of  you  tell  ?  Yes, 
you  all  know,  it  is  the  ivind,  blowing  the  trees. 
But  can  you  see  the  wind  ?  No,  but  every  body 
knows  there  is  such  a  thing  as  the  wind,  thougii 
we  cannot  see  it. 

Did  you  ever  feel  sick,  so  as  to  take  medicine, 
and  feel  in  great  pain  ?  Yes.  1  suppose  you  all 
have.  B^^ut  which  of  these  children  ever  saw  the 
pain  ?  Did  you  hear  it  ?  No.  Did  you  smell  it  ? 
No.  And  yqu  know  there  is  such  a  thing  as  pain, 
thouo^h  we  cannot  see  it.     ^ 

You  all  know  there  is  such  a  thing  as  hunger. 
How  do  you  know  ?  You  never  saw  it,  nor  heard 
it,  nor  smelt  it ;  but  you  felt  it. 

Suppose  I  should  now  say  there  is  no  such 
thing  in  the  world'  as  love.  Would  it  be  true  ? 
No.  But  why  not?  You  never  saw  love.  No, 
but  you  love  your  parents,  and  know  by  your 
feelings  that  there  is  such  a  thhig  as  love,  though 
vou  never  saw  it. 
3 


36  THERE  is  A  GOD.  [Lect.  2. 


Eyes  [)ut  out  and  ears  deaf.  A  cliild  can  think  without  eyes  or  ears. 


Suppose  one  of  these  children  should  have 
both  of  his  eyes  put  out,  and  be  a  blind  little^ 
bov.  He  could  still  think.  He  could  sit  down 
and  think  how  his  home  looked,  how  his  father 
and  mother  looked.  Suppose  he  should  then  Jose 
his  hearing  so  as  to  be  deaf.  He  could  still 
think  how  the  voice  of  his  father  and  mother  used 
to  sound,  wiien  they  spake  pleasantly  to  him. 
Suppose  he  were  then  to  lose  his  taste,  so  that  he 
could  not  taste  sweet  things  from  sour.  He  could 
then  sit  down  and  think  how  food  and  fruit  used 
to  taste,  and  how  he  used  to  love  them.  Suppose, 
next,  he  were  to  lose  his  feeling,  so  as  to  be 
numb  and  cold.  He  could  then  think  how  things 
used  to  feel ;  how  an  orange  felt  round,  and  a  book 
felt  flat. 

Yes,  and  if  he  were  to  lose  eyes,  and  ears, 
and  taste,  and  feeling,  and  smelling,  all  at  once, 
he  could  still  tell  us  how  things  used  to  be.  The 
sun  used  to  look  bright  and  round,  and  so  did  the 


Lect.  2.]  THERE  IS  A  GOD.  37 

The  watch  in  the  nase..  Proof  of  God. 

moon ;  the  rose  and  the  pink  used  to  smell  sweet- 
ly, the  flute  to  sound  pleasantly,  the  honey  to 
taste  sweet,  and  the  ice  to  feel  cold.  He  could 
think  all  about  these  things. 

Novv,  what  is  it  that  thinks  ?    It  is  the  soul,-— 
'the  soul  within  you.     How  do  you  know  that  a 

'watch-case  has  any  watch  in  it?    Because  you 
(     hqar  it  tick,  and  see  the  pointers  move.     And  just 

^  so  you  know  your  body  has  a  soul  in  it,  because 

^it  thjnks,  and  moves  your  hand,  and  your  eye,  just 
as  the  watch  within  the  case  moves  the  pointers. 
But   nobody   ever   saw  the  soul,  i^  And  yet   we 

'  know  we  have  a  soul,  because  we  see  it  do  things. 
When  you  feel  happy,  the  soul  makes  the  face 
laugh;  when  the  soul  feels  bad,  it  shows  itself 
through  the  face,  and  perhaps  makes  the  face  cry 
When  you  feel  wicked,  it  makes  you  cross,  and 
speak  wicked  words,  and  disobey  your  parents, 
and  disobey  God. 

N  nv,  it  is  in  just  such  ways  we  know  there  is 


^> 


38  THERE  IS  A  GOD.  [Lect.  2 


Meeting-house.  What  the  meeting-house  made  for  ? 

a  God.  Just  attend  to  what  I  am  going  to  say, 
and  see  if  I  do  not  make  it  })lain,  and  prove  ii  all 
out  to  you,  that  there  is  a  God,  because  ive  see 
I  hat  he  does  tilings. 

You  see  this  meeting-house.  You  see  it  is 
full  of  things  which  were  planned  out,  and  every 
thing  in  it  planned  for  some  use.  Now,  look. 
This  pulpit  with  its  stairs,  and  window,  and  seat — 
for  what  are  they  designed  ?  Why,  the  window  is 
to  let  the  light  in,  the  seat  for  the  preacher  to  sit 
down,  and  the  stairs  so  that  he  can  get  into  it ; 
and  this  place  where  1  stand,  that  he  may  stand 
up  so  high  as  to  be  seen  by  all  in  the  house. 
Those  seats  or  pews  were  made  for  you  to  sit  in, 
during  the  sermon,  and  all  done  off  and  numbered, 
o  thrit  each  family  might  have  their  own  pew, 
and  know  it.  Those  windows  were  made  to  let 
(he  light  in ;  those  posts  to  hold  up  the  gallery,  so 
that  it  might  not  fall  on  those  who  sit  under  it. 
Those  doors  are  made  to  shut  the  noise  and  the 


Lect.  2.]  THERE  IS  A  GOD.  39 

A  meeling-house  built  by  chance  ! 

cold  out,  and  those  stoves  to  warm  the  house  in 
winter,  and  the  long  pipes  to  carry  off  the  smoke. 
That  front  gallery  is  for  the  singers  to  sit  in  and 
sing  God's  praises.  Look  now,  and  see  if  you 
can  find  any  thing  to  play  with.  No.  There  is 
nothing.  Of  course,  this  house  was  not  made  to 
play  in.  See  if  you  can  see  any  thing  to  sleep 
on — any  couch,  or  bed  ?  No,  none.  Of  course, 
this  house  was  not  made  to  sleep  in.  It  is  all 
planned  to  be  a  place  in  which  to  worship  God. 

Suppose,  now,  I  should  tell  you  this  house  was 
never  built  by  any  body  !  It«ill  grew  up  by  chance, 
just  as  it  is!  The  brick  for  the  walls  on  the 
outside,  and  the  roof  on  the  top,  grew  just  so, 
making  this  great  square  room,  with  its  pews,  and 
pulpit,  and  windows,  and  stoves,  and  every  thing 
iust  as  it  is  !  It  all  grew  so  by  chance  !  Could  you 
believe  this  ?  No,  you  could  not  believe  it.  Why, 
vou  would  say,  this  house  must  be  built  by 
somebody.     True.     True.     But  tell  me,  did  you 


40  THERE  IS  A  GOD.  [Lect.  2 


The  silk-worm. 


ever  see  the  man  who  made  these  bricks,  and 
spread  these  walls  ?  No.  Did  you  see  the 
carpenter^who  built  these  pews,  and  pulpit,  and 
doors,  and  windows  ?  No.  Did  jou  ever  see  the 
dass-maker  who  melted  the  sand  and  made  this 
glass  r  No.  Did  you  ever  see  the  silk-weaver 
who  wove  this  pulpit-curtain  ?   No.     Or  the  man 

^  who  '  hammered  out  the  iron  and  made  those 
pipes?  No,  no.  You  never  did,  and  yet  you 
knbw  that  all  these  lived,  because  you  see  what 
they  have  done.     And  this  is  good  proof. 

And  it  is  in  just  such  ways  that  we  know  there 

'is  a  God;   for  .he  made  the  clay,   which  had  only 

'    to  be  altered  by   the    fire,  Snd  it  is  brick.     He 

.  made  the  wood,  which  has  only  to  be  altered  in 
it«  shape,  arid  it  becomes  pews  and  seats.  He 
made  the  iron,  which  had  only  to  have  its  shape 
altere(J^by  nielting,  and  it  is  these  stoves.  The 
sand<- which,  he  made  has  only  to  be  melted, 
and  Mt,  becomes    glass.      He    made    the    little 


s 


V 


r.icT    2.J  THERE  IS  A  GOD.  43 


The  dead  ral)bit  and  birds.  The  cow  and  horse  seeing  a  painting. 

worm  which  spun  the  silk  of  which  this  cushion 
was  made.  And  he  made  the  light  to  shine 
through  these  windows,  and  jour  eyes  to  see  it 
after  it  comes  in,  and  your  ears  to  hear  voices  and 
sounds.  He  made  that  mind  of  yours,  so  that  it 
can  understand  what  1  say,  and  your  memory  so 
that  you  can  lay  it  up  and  keep  it,  and  talk  it  over 
.  after  you  go  home. 

I  once  saw  a  painting  of  a  dead  rabbit  and 
some  large  birds.  They  looked  just  as  if  they 
were  a  real  rabbit  and  real  birds ;  and  a  little  dog, 
coming  in,  jumped  up  to  catch  them  in  his  mouth, 
thinking  they  were  real.  Now,  could  any  one 
doubt  but  a  painter  had  been  there,  who  made  that 
picture  ?  No.  Nor  could  any  one  doubt  but  there 
is  a  God,  who  made  the  rabbit  and  the  birds. 

A  painter  once  painted  a  large  sheaf  of  wheat 
for  a  baker's  sign.  A  cow  came  up,  and  mistook 
it  for  a  real  sheaf,  and  tried  to  eat  it.  And  anothei 
painter  painted  a  horse  which  looked  so  natural. 


44  THERE  IS  A  GOD.  [Lect   2 

The  mind  is  glad.  The  body  is  a  liouse  for  the  soul. 

that  another  horse  came  up,  and  neighed  to  it, 
thmking  it  was  a  real  horse.  Suppose  vou  Ijad 
seen  these  pictures,  and  nobody  near  them ; 
would  you  not  at  once  say,  Somebody  must 
have  made  those  pictures?  Yes;  and  when  you 
see  the  wheat  in  the  field,  and  the  horse  in  the 
street,  you  know  that  somebody  made  them ;  and 
that  somebody  is  God. 

Why  do  you  love  to  hear  a  new  and  curious 
story  ?  Is  the  ear  pleased  ?  No.  The  ear  feels 
no  pleasure.  Why  do  you  love  to  see  something 
that  is  new,  and  curious,  and  strange  ?  Is  your  eye 
made  glad  ?  No.  The  eye  knows  nothing  about 
it.  But  your  mind  feels  glad,  when  you  hear  a 
pleasant  story,  or  sweet  music,  and  when  you  see 
a  new  sight.  The  mind  is  glad.  But  how  came 
that  curious  mind  within  you  ?  Did  it  come  there 
by  chance  ?  No,  no  more  than  this  house  came 
here  by  chance.  The  body  is  the  house.  The 
soul  lives  in  it ;  and  God  has  made  the  ear  to  let 


Lect.  2.]  THfiRE  IS  A  GOD.  45 


The  body  is  a  house  for  the  soul. 


sounds  into  the  soul ;  and  the  eye,  so  that  light 
may  go  in  as  through  a  window ;  and  the  tongue, 
so  that  the  soul  may  speak  out  and  tell  its  feel- 
ings; and  the  feet  to' carry  it  about  any  where; 
and  the  hands  to  be  servants,  and  dO  any  thing  the 
soul  wants  done.  And  then  the  body  needs  food, 
and  God  has  made  it,  the  fire  to  cook  it,  and  the 
teeth  to  chew  it.  it  needs  drink,  and  so  he  has 
made  waiter,  and  the  cow  to  give  milk.  It  geis 
sick,  apd  so  he  has  made  medicines  to  cure  it.  It 
needs  clothes,  and  so  he  has  made  the  cotton  grow 
out  of  the  ground,  the  leather  on  the  ox,  the  wool 
on  the  back  of  the  sheep,  and  the  worm  to  spin 
the  silk.  It  needs  tools,  and  so  he  has  made  the 
iron  and  lead,  the  silver  and  the  gold,  and  the 
w()(»d.  It  needs  to  be  warm,  and  so  he  has  made 
and  hung  up  the  sun  like  a  great  fire  to  pour  down 
his  light  and  heat.  The  world  is  full  of  what 
God  has  done.  Can  you  not  see  his  doings  every 
where  ? 


46  THERE  IS  A  GOD.  [Lect. 


Who  made  the  »  a'v  book  ?  God  made  thing's. 

You  see  this  little  book  in  my  hand.     It  is  ful 

of  leaves,  and  maps,  and  printing.     It  is  a  Testa 

«. 

Hicnt.  Here  are  the  chapters  and  verses  all  mark- 
ed out  plainly  and  correctly.  Every  word  and 
every  letter  is  right.  Now,  you  never  saw  the 
man  who  made  this  paper,  nor  the  man  who  put 
up  these  types,  nor  the  man  who  pressed  the  paper 
on  the  typt^s  so  exactly,  nor  the  man  who  bound 
it  all  up  hi  this  bright,  red  leather.  And  yet  you 
know  that  such  men  were  alive  a  short  time  since  ; 
for  the  book  was  printed  this  year.  You  never 
will  see  these  men,  and  yet  you  know  they  are 
alive  some\^'here. 

Just  so  you  know  that  God  lives.  For  he  made 
the  cotton,  which  is  here  altered  into  paper ;  he 
made  the  oil  and  the  wood,  w  hich  are  burned  to 
make  this  ink ;  he  made  the  skin  of  sheep,  which  is 
dressed,  and  colored,  and  is  here  in  the  shape  of 
the  morocco  binding. 

God  knew  you  would  love  to  see  the  light,  and 


Ltci    2.J  THERE  IS  A  GOD.  41 


The  rniiiliow,  flowers  and  fruit  made  by  Goil. 


SO  he  made  the  sun  and  the  moon.  He  knew  you 
would  love  to  see  beautiful  thhigs,  and  so  lie 
painted  the  rainbow  in  the  dark  clouds,  and 
spread  the  green  grass  over  the  ground,  and  pen- 
cilled the  flowers,  and  planted  the  trees,  and  hung 
apples  on  one  tree,  and  plums  on  another,  and 
grapes  on  the  vine.  He  knew  jou  would  love  to 
hear  sweet  sounds,  and  so  he  gave  your  parents  a 
pleasant  voice,  and  filled  the  air  with  little  birds, 
whose  great  business  is  to  sing.  He  knew  you 
would  want  houses  and  fires,  and  so  he  made  the 
wood  and  the  clay  for  the  brick.  He  knew  you 
would  have  reason,  and  yet  not  enough  to  lead  you 
to  heaven,  and  so  he  made  the  Bible.  He  knew 
you  would  have  wicked  hearts,  and  so  he  has 
given  you  the  Sabbath,  and  the  Saviour,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit,  to  help  you  to  be  good.  He  knew 
you  would  want  to  live  forever,  and  so  he  has 
made  heaven,  where  you  may  live  forever,  and 
never  die,  if  you  are  good  and  holy. 


48  THERE  IS  A  GOD.  fLEcr    2 

God  seen  plainly'.  Poetry  describes  God. 

Who  does  not  see  that  the  world  is  full  of  the 
things  that  God  has  done  ?  I  am  sure  I  can  no 
more  doubt  it  than  I  can  doubt  that  little  hoy  to 
liave  eyes,  when  I  see  them  both  open  and  look- 
ing at  me.  I  am  sure  I  have  no  doubt  that  these 
children  have  souls,  though  I  never  saw  their 
souls ;  for  I  can  see  their  eyes,  and  hands  and 
limbs  moved  by  their  souls. 

And  now,  dear  children,  you  see  it  all  proved 
out  to  you  that  there  is  a  great  and  glorious  Being 
around  you,  always  doing  you  good,  whose  name 
is  God.     Yes, 

**  There  is  an  unseen  Power  around, 
Existing  in  the  silent  air  : 
Where  treadeth  man,  where  space  is  found, 
Unheard,  unknown,  that  Power  is  there. 

When  sinks  the  pious  Christian's  soul, 
And  scenes  of  horror  daunt  his  eye, 

He  hears  it  whispered  through  the  air, 
A  Power  of  mercy  still  is  nigh. 


Lect.  2.]  THERE  IS  A  GOD  4S 

Wlien  ought  children  to  think  of  God  ? 

The  Power  that  watches,  guides,  defends. 

Till  man  becomes  a  lifeless  sod, 
Till  earth  is  noucrht, — nought  earthlv  friends,— 

That  omnipresent  Power — is  God." 

Oughi  not  iiiese  cnimren  lo  think  oi  ijod? 
To  tliink  of  him  when  you  go  to  bed  at  night,  for 
he  it  is  who  has  kept  you  safe  and  done  you  good 
all  the  day  long,  and  then  thank  him  for  his  good- 
ness ?  Think  of  him  in  the  morning,  for  it  is  he 
who  has  kept  you,  given  you  sleep  and  awaked 
you,  and  lifted  up  the  great  sun  to  shine  upon  you. 
Oh,  pray  that  he  will  keep  you  from  sinning  all  the 
day.  You  ought  to  think  of  him  when  you  hear 
the  pleasant  and  kind  voice  of  your  parents,  for  it 
is  God  who  gave  you  these  parents  ;  think  of  him 
when  you  are  happy,  for  it  is  he  who  makes  you 
happy.  Think  of  him  when  you  have  sinned,  or 
are  about  to  sin,  for  he  sees  vou.  Think  of 
liim  when  you  are  sick,  for  he  only  can  make  you 
well,  and  keen  you  from  being  sick.     Think  of 


50  THERE  IS  A  GOD.  [Lect.  2 

The  sincere  wish. 

tiim  on  the  Sabbath,  for  he  gave  it  to  you  to  fit 
you  for  heaven.  Yes,  he  gave  you  every  good 
thing  you  ever  had,  or  ever  can  have,  and  even 
gave  his  dear  Son  to  die  for  us. 

And  now  let  me  stop,  after  looking  at  each 
child  before  me,  and  repeating  to  each  one  this 
sincere  wish  of  my  heart — 

"  Oh,  be  thy  wealth  an  upright  heart ; 

Thy  strength,  the  sufferer's  stay  ; 
Thy  earthly  choice,  the  better  pan, 

Which  cannot  fade  away  : 
Thy  zeal  for  Christ,  a  quenchless  fire; 

Thy  friends,  the  men  of  peace; 
Thy  heritage,  an  angel's  lyre, 

When  earthly  changes  cease."  Amen. 


51 


LEG  TURE    III. 

REPENTANCE  FOR  SIN. 

They  went  out  and  preached  that  men  should  repent. — Mark  6.  13. 

Contents. — A  hard  word  used.  The  hard  word  explained.  Nothing  good 
witiiout  pay.  Who  need  repentance.  Christ's  testimony.  Great  question. 
Two  kinds  of  money.  Two  trees.  Story.  The  sick  father.  Little 
boy's  falsehood.  Tlie  tender  look.  The  dying  father.  Death  arrived.  Tlie 
burial.  Repentance  at  the  grave.  A  few  plain  remarks.  God  not  loved. 
The  discontented  boy — the  storm — the  Bible — his  repentance.  Who  have 
siimed  ?   Stopping  in  sin.  The  Indian  and  his  rum.    Hands  full.   Conclusion 

Children,  I  am  going  to  use  a  hard  word,  and 
I  must  tell  vou  what  it  means.  The  word  is  con- 
ditions.  I  would  not  use  it  if  I  did  not  think  1 
could  make  it  easy.  Suppose  a  little  child  goes 
to  school,  and  wants  a  new  book.  Her  another 
says,  "  Well,  Mary,  if  you  will  be  perfect  in  your 
lessons  and  behavior  for  two  whole  weeks,  i  will 
buy  the  book  for  you."  This  is  a  condition,  A 
little  boy  asks  his  father  to  let  him  ride.  He  tells 
him  he  may  ride  with  him  to-morrow,  on  the  con- 


52  REPENTANCE.  [I.ect.  5 

The  hard  word  explained. 

dition,  that  he  governs  his  temper  and  is  a  good 
boy  all  day  to-day.  , 

So  every  good  thing  in  this  world  has  some 
such  condition,  and  for  every  thing  we  have  some- 
thing to  do.  I  will  only  name  four  things  which 
have  such  conditions. 

1.  God  has  so  ordered  things,  that  any  child 
shall  grow  up  greatl}  beloved  and  respected,  on 
condition  that  he  is  kind  and  obedient  to  his  par- 
ents and  teachers,  and  kind  and  affectionate  to 
every  body. 

2.  God  has  so  ordered  things,  that  a  man  may 
be  learned,  on  condition  that  he  studies  and  reads, 
and  wastes  no  time. 

3.  God  has  so  ordered  things,  that  medicine 
will  frequently  cure  the  sick  man.  But  the  con- 
dition is,  that  it  must  be  carefully  taken. 

4.  God  has  so  ordered  things,  that  any  body 
may  know  all  about  God,  and  heaven,  on  condi- 
tion, that  he  faithfully  reads  the  Bible,  and  prays 


Lect.  3  ]  REPENTANCE.  5^ 


Nothing  good  without  pay.  Who  need  repentance. 


to  God  for  the  Holj  Spirit,  and  obeys  God  in 
every  thing. 

It  is  just  so  with  every  thing.  Who  would  not 
laugh  at  the  farmer  who  expected  to  raise  corn, 
except  on  the  condition  that  he  plant,  and  hoe,  and 
plant  the  right  seed,  and  at  the  right  time?  That 
little  boy  cannot  see  his  top  spin  round,  except  on 
a  condition — that  he  do  so.nething  to  make  it  go. 
That  little  girl,  just  beginning  to  talk,  cannot  learn 
a  single  letter,  or  take  a  single  stitch  with  her 
needle,  except  on  condition  that  she  try  to  learn. 
No.  You  cannot  rear  a  single  beautiful  flower  so 
as  to  get  one  single  blossom,  without  a  condition. 

Now,  the  greatest  good  that  God  ever  gave  to 
us,  is  that  eternal  life  which  Christ  bought  for  us 
by  his  own  blood.  No  man  ever  became  holy 
without  a  condition  for  him  to  fulfil.  No  man 
ever  went  to  heaven  without  repentance.  Job 
could  not.  David  could  not.  Peter,  and  Paul,  and 
John,  could  not.  Not  one  of  that  great  multitude 
4 


54  REPENTANCE.  ILect.  3 

Christ's  testimony.  Two  kinds  of  money. 

who  are  now  in  heaven,  went  there  without  re- 
pentance. Christ  i)reached  this  condition,  and  so 
did  the  apostles;  so  has  every  true  preacher  since. 
Not  one  sinner  in  this  house,  not  one  in  this  place, 
not  one  in  this  world,  will  ever  go  to  heaven  with- 
out repentance.  If  we  knew  just  how  many,  and 
who  would  repent  of  sin,  we  should  know  just 
how  many,  and  who  would  go  to  heaven.  All 
must  repent.  Christ  says,  ''  Except  ye  repent,  yt 
shall  all  likewise  perish^  So  Paul  says,  "  God 
now  commandeth  all  men  every  ivhere  to  repeiit.^^ 
You  cannot  doubt  who  must  repent — all  must, 
every  human  being  that  has  ever  sinned. 

A  very  great  question  rises  up  here ;  and  thai 
is,  WJiat  is  it  to  repent? 

You  all  know  there  are  two  kinds  of  money — 
the  good,  and  the  counterfeit.  And  a  man  might 
have  a  house  full  of  the  counterfeit,  and  yet  he 
could  not  be  said  to  have  any  money.  It  would 
do  him   no   good.     So   there  are  two   kinds   of 


I.ECT.  3.]  REPENTANCE.  55 

Trees.  Story  to  explain. 

repentance.  One  is  good,  and  the  other  good  foi 
nothing.  They  may  not  seem  very  different,  just 
as  two  pieces  of  money  may  look  alike,  while  one 
is  good,  and  will  buy  things,  and  the  other  is  good 
for  nothing ;  just  as  two  trees  may  stand  together, 
and  look  alike,  while  one  produces  good  fruit,  and 
the  other  nothing  but  leaves.  But  you  want 
to  know  what  it  is  to  repent.  Let  me  try  to 
tell  you. 

A  man,  who  is  now  a  minister  of  the  gospel, 
gave  me  the  following  account.  I  tell  it  to  you 
in  order  to  show  you  what  repentance  is.  "I  had 
one  of  the  kindest  and  best  of  fathers  ;  and  when 
I  was  a  little  white-headed  boy,  about  six  years 
old,  he  used  to  carry  me  to  school  before  him  on 
his  horse,  to  help  me  in  my  little  plans,  and  always 
seemed  trying  to  make  me  ha})py ;  and  he  never 
seemed  so  hajipy  himself  as  when  making  me 
happy.  When  I  was  six  years  old,  he  came  home, 
one  day,  very  sick.     My  mother,  too,  was  sick ; 


56  REPENTANCE.  [Lect.  3 


The  sick  father.  Liiile  boy's  falscliood. 


and  thus  nobody  but  my  two  sisters  could  take 
care  of  my  father.  In  a  few  days  he  was  worse, 
very  sick,  and  all  the  physicians  in  the  region 
were  called  in  to  see  him.  The  next  Sabbath 
morning,  early,  he  was  evidently  much  w  orse.  As 
1  went  into  the  room,  he  stretched  out  his  hand  to 
me  and  said,  '  My  little  boy,  I  am  very  sick.  1 
wish  you  to  take  that  paper  on  the  stand,  and  run 
down  to  Mr.  C.'s,  and  get  me  the  medicine  writ- 
ten on  that  paper.'  I  took  the  paper,  and  went 
to  the  apothecary's  shop,  as  I  had  often  done  be- 
fore. It  w^as  about  half  a  mile  off;  but  when  I 
got  there,  I  found  it  shut ;  and  as  Mr.  C.  lived  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  farther  off,  I  concluded  not  to  go 
to  find  him.  I  then  set  out  for  home.  On  my  way 
back,  I  contrived  what  to  say.  I  knew  how  wick- 
ed it  was  to  tell  a  lie,  but  one  sin  always  leads  to 
another.  On  going  in  to  my  father,  1  saw  that  he 
was  in  great  pain  ;  and  though  pale  and  w^eak,  1 
could  see  great  drops  of  sweat  standing  on  his 


Lect    3.1  REPENTANCE. 


The  lender  look. 


forehead,  forced  out  by  the  pain.  Oh,  then  I  was 
sorry  1  had  not  gone  and  found  the  apothecary. 
A.t  length  he  said  to  me,  '  My  son  has  got  (he 
Tiedicine,  I  hope,  for  I  am  in  great  pain.'  I  hung 
iiy  head,  and  muttered,  for  my  conscience  smote 
ne.  '  No,  sir,  Mr.  Carter  says  he  has  got  none ! ' 
'  Has  got  none  !  Is  this  possible  ?^  He  then  cast 
a  keen  eye  upon  me,  and  seeing  my  head  hang,  and 
probably  suspecting  my  falsehood,  said,  in  the  mild- 
est, kindest  tone,  '  Mi/  little  hoy  ivill  see  his  father 
suffer  great  pain  for  the  ivant  of  that  medicine  I '  1 
went  out  of  the  room,  and  alone,  and  cried.  I  was 
soon  called  back.  My  brothers  had  come,  and 
were  standing, — all  the  children  were  standing, 
round  his  bed,  and  he  was  committing  my  {)oor 
mother  to  their  care,  and  giving  them  his  last  ad- 
vice. 1  was  the  youngest ;  and  when  he  laid  his 
hand  on  my  head,  and  told  me  *that  in  a  few  hours 
I  should  have  no  father ;  that  he  would  in  a  day 
or  two   be   buried   up;    that   1   must  now  make 


58  REPENTANCE.  [Lect.  3 

The  dying  father. 

God  my  father,  love  him,  obey  him,  and  always 
do  right,  and  speak  the  truths  because  the  eye  of 
God  is  always  upon  me' — it  seemed  as  if  I 
should  sink ;  and  when  he  laid  his  hand  on  my  head 
again,  and  prayed  for  the  blessing  of  God  the 
Redeemer  to  rest  upon  me,  '  soon  to  be  a  father- 
less orphan,'  I  dared  not  look  at  him,  I  felt  so 
guilty.  Sobbing,  I  rushed  from  his  bed-side,  and 
thought  I  wished  I  could  die.  They  soon  told 
me  he  could  not  speak.  Oh,  how  much  would  I 
have  given  to  go  in  and  tell  him  that  1  had  told  a 
lie,  and  ask  him  once  more  to  lay  his  hand  on  my 
head  and  forgive  me !  I  crept  in  once  more, 
and  heard  the  minister  pray  for  '  the  dying 
man.'  Oh,  how  my  heart  ached !  I  snatched 
my  hat,  and  ran  to  the  apothecary's  house,  and 
got  the  medicine.  I  ran  home  with  all  my  might, 
and  ran  in,  and  ran  up  to  my  father's  bed-side  to 
confess  my  sin,  crying  out,  'O  here,  father' — but 
1  was  hushed ;  and  I  then  saw  that  he  was  nale, 


I.ECT.  ai  REPENTANCE.  5S 

Dqath  arrived.  The  burial. 

and  that  all  in  tlie  room  were  weeping.  My  clem 
father  was  dead  !  And  the  last  thhig  \  ever  spoke 
to  him  was  to  tell  him  a  lie!  1  sobbed  as  if  my 
heart  would  break ;  for  his  kindnesses,  his  tender 
looks,  and  my  own  sin,  all  rushed  upon  my  mind. 
And  as  1  gazed  upon  his  cold,  pale  face,  and  saw 
his  eyes  shut,  and  his  lips  closed,  could  I  help 
thinking  of  his  last  words,  '  My  little  boy  will  see 
his  father  suffer  great  pain  for  the  want  of  thai 
medicine '  ?  I  could  not  know  but  he  died  for 
the  want  of  it. 

"In  a  day  or  two,  he  was  put  into  the  ground 
and  buried  up.  There  were  several  ministers  at 
the  funeral,  and  each  spoke  kindly  to  me,  but 
could  not  comfort  me.  Alas  !  they  knew  not 
what  a  load  of  sorrow  lay  on  my  heart.  They 
could  not  comfort  me.  My  father  was  buried, 
and  the  children  all  scattered  abroad;  for  my 
mother  was  too  feeble  to  take  care  of  them. 

"  It  was  twelve  years  after  this,  while  in  college, 


60  REPENTANCE.  [Lect.  5 


Repentance  at  the  grave.  A  few  plain  remarks. 


that  I  went  alone  to  the  grave  of  my  father.  Ii 
took  me  a  good  while  to  find  it;  but  there  it  was, 
with  its  humble  tomb-stone ;  and  as  I  stood  over 
it,  I  seemed  to  be  back  at  his  bed-side,  to  see  his 
pale  face,  and  hear  his  voice.  Oh !  the  thought 
of  that  sin  and  wickedness  cut  me  to  the  heart. 
It  seemed  as  worlds  would  not  be  too  much  to 
give,  could  I  then  only  have  called  loud  enough  to 
have  him  hear  me  ask  his  forgiveness.  But  it 
was  too  late.  He  had  been  in  the  grave  twelve 
years ;  and  1  must  live  and  die,  weeping  over 
that  ungrateful  falsehood.  May  God  forgive 
me." 

Now,  I  wish  to  say  two  or  three  things  about 
this  little  boy's  repentance. 

1.  You  see  that  a  child  may  be  wicked.  He 
can  sin  against  a  father  and  against  God  at  the 
same  time.  God  commands  us  to  obey  our 
parents  and  to  speak  the  truth.  This  child  did 
neither. 


Uci.  3.]  REPENTANCE. 


God  not  loved. 


2.  You  see  that  a  child  is  not  too  young  to 
repent  of  a  sin  against  his  father.  Some  have  an 
idea  that  a  child  is  too  young  to  repent;  but  this 
is  a  great  mistake.  If  this  boy  could  repent  of 
this  one  sin,  he  could  of  more  ;  and  if  he  could 
repent  of  a  sin  against  an  earthly  father,  could 
he  not  of  those  against  his  heavenly  Father  ? 

3.  You  see  what  true  repentance  towards  God 
is.  It  is  to  feel  sorry  and  grieved  that  you  have 
sinned  against  God,  just  as  this  child  did,  because 
he  had  sinned  against  his  dying  father.  He  did 
not  grieve  so  because  he  was  afraid  of  being 
punished,  but  because  his  father  was  so  good  to 
him,  and  he  was  so  wicked  agahist  his  father. 
Now,  had  he  felt  as  sorry  for  each  and  all  of  his 
sins  against  God,  as  he  did  for  this  one  sin  against 
a  man,  it  would  have  been  true  repentance. 

4.  You  see  that  if  we  loved  God  as  much  as 
we  do  an  earthly  parent,  we  should  repent  deeply  ; 
jecause  he  has  done  us  ten  thousand   kindnesses, 


62  REPENTANCE.  [Lect.  3 

The  discontenled  hoy.  The  storm. 

and  is  doing  them  every  day,  and  because  we 
have  committed  ten  thousand  sins  against  him 
more  shameful  than  this  shameful  sin  of  the 
little  boy. 

There  was  a  wicked  boy  once,  who  would 
leave  his  father's  home  and  go  to  sea.  His  kind 
father  tried  to  persuade  him  not  to  go ;  but  he 
was  not  to  be  kept  away  from  the  sea.  The 
reason  was,  he  thought  that  he  might  be  wicked 
when  he  got  away  from  his  father,  and  there 
would  be  nobody  to  reprove  him.  His  weeping 
father  gave  him  a  Bible  as  he  went  away,  and 
begged  him  to  read  it.  The  boy  went  away,  and 
became  very  wicked,  and  very  profane.  But 
God  saw  him.  There  was  a  great  storm  upon 
the  ocean.  The  ship  could  not  stand  against  it. 
She  struck  upon  the  rocks  in  the  dark  night.  It 
was  a  time  of  great  distress ; — and  for  a  few 
moments,  there  was  the  noise  of  the  captain  gi^  ing 
his  orders,  the  howling  of  the  storm,  the    cries   of 


^4i. 


Lect    3.J  RErF.NTANCE.  Gj 


'I'he  Bible. 


the  poor  sailors  and  passengers,  who  expected 
everv  mon)ent  to  be  drowned.  Then  this  wicked 
boj  wished  himself  at  home.  But  he  had  but  a 
few  moments  ;  for  a  great  wave  came  and  lifted 
the  ship  up  high,  and  then  came  down  upon 
another  rock,  and  she  was  shivered  in  a  thousand 
pieces.  Every  soul  on  board  was  drowned,  except 
this  same  wicked  boy.  By  the  mercy  of  God,  he 
was  washed  and  carried  by  the  waves  upon  a 
great  rock,  so  that  he  could  creep  up,  much  bruised 
and  almost  dead.  In  the  morning,  he  was  seen 
sitting  on  the  rock  with  a  book  in  his  hand.  It 
was  his  Bible, — the  only  thing,  except  his  own 
life,  which  had  been  saved  from  the  wreck.  He 
opened  it,  and  there,  on  the  first  leaf,  was  the 
hand-writing  of  his  father!  He  thought  of  the 
goodness  of  that  father,  and  of  his  own  ingratitude, 
and  he  wej)t.  Again  he  opened  the  book,  and  on 
every  page  was  the  hand-writing  of  his  heavenly 
Father;    and  again  he  wept  at  the  remembrancp 


66  REPENTANCE.  [Lkct.  3 


His  repentance.  Who  have  sinned  ? 


of  his  sins  against  God.  His  heart  was  broken. 
He  was  truly  penitent ;  and  from  that  hour  to  this 
he  has  lived  as  a  Christian.  He  is  now  the  com- 
mander of  a  large  ship,  and  seems  to  make  it  his 
great  business  to  honor  Jesus  Christ.  This  was 
true  repentance. 

But  I  must  tell  you,  in  a  few  words,  why  it  is 
necessary  for  every  one  to  repent  of  sin. 

1 .  Because  all  have  sinned.  I  need  not  try  to 
tell  how  many  times.  I  might  as  well  try  to 
count  the  hairs  on  that  little  boy's  head,  who 
stands  at  that  pew  door  and  gives  me  all  his  looks 
while  1  am  speaking.  We  all  have  sinned  against 
our  parents,  by  not  obeying  them  and  being  kind 
to  them  ;  we  have  sinned  against  the  Sabbath,  by 
not  remembering  to  keep  it  holy ;  against  the 
Bible,  by  not  loving  it  and  not  keeping  its  sayings; 
against  conscience,  which  stands  close  to  our  heart, 
3nd,  like  a  sentinel  keeping  watch,  cries  out  when 
we  sin ;  against  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  not  doing  as 


Lkct    3]  REPENTANCE.  67 

Slopping  in  sin, 

he  says,  when  he  makes  us  feel  solemn  and  sinful , 
and  against  God  himself,  whose  commandments 
we  break.  Oh!  our  sins  are  like  a  great  cloud. 
Did  you  ever  see  a  cloud  of  dust  or  sand  in  a 
windy  day?  And  could  you  count  the  little  par- 
ticles of  dust  in  it — all  of  them  ?  No,  no.  But 
our  sins  are  quite  as  many. 

2.  None  will  forsake  sin  till  they  have  repent- 
ed. You  might  stop  a  man  from  stealing  by  killing 
him  or  shutting  him  up  in  prison.  But  this  would 
not  stop  his  wishing  to  steal ;  and  that  wishing,  in 
the  sight  of  God,  is  sin.  One  of  these  children 
might  have  his  tongue  cut  out,  so  that  he  could 
not  talk,  and  so  that  he  could  never  again  tell  a 
lie ;  but  if  he  tJioxight  a  lie  in  his  heart,  this  would 
be  sin ,  and  ciUting  out  his  tongue  would  not  stop 
his  sininng.  The  Indians,  some  years  ago,  tried 
to  stop  their  people  from  sinning ;  and  so  they  gave 
them  strong  emetics,  in  order  to  have  them  throw 
\\\i  their  sins  ;    but  they  did  no  good.     The  sin 


lis  REPENTANCE.  TLect.  5. 


Tlie  Indian  and  his  rum. 


was  ill  the  heart,  and  not  in  the  stomach.  One 
of  tliese  Indians,  who  liad  thus  taken  emetics, 
went  to  Pittsburgh,  and  bouglit  a  barrel  of  rum  to 
sell  to  the  other  Indians.  On  his  wav  back,  he 
called  and  heard  the  Moravian  missionaries  preach 
the  gospel.  *'  He  was  so  convinced  of  his  sinful- 
ness and  misery,  that  he  resolved  to  alter  his 
manner  of  life.  He  accordingly  returned  the 
barrel  of  rum  to  the  trader  at  Pittsburgh,  declaring 
that  he  would  neither  drink  nor  sell  any  more 
spirituous  liquors,  for  it  was  against  his  conscience. 
He,  therefore,  begged  him  to  take  it  back,  adding, 
that,  if  he  refused,  he  would  pour  it  into  the  Ohio. 
The  trader,  as  well  as  the  w  hite  people  who  were 
present,  was  amazed,  and  assured  him,  that  this 
was  the  first  barrel  of  rum  he  had  ever  seen 
returned  by  an  Indian  :  but  he,  at  the  same  time, 
took  it  back,  without  further  objection." 

Nothing  but  repentance  would  ever  have  led 
this  Indian  to  do  this.  And  this,  and  nothing  but 
Uiis,  \\  ill  make  any  one  leave  off  sin. 


Lkct.  3.]  REPENTANCE.  69 


Hands  full.  Conclusion 

3.  None  will  serve  God  unless  they  have  first 
rcjjented  of  sin.  Christ  says  that  no  man  can 
serve  two  masters.  Suppose  a  child  has  a  large 
apple  in  each  hand,  and,  without  laying  down 
either,  she  goes  and  tries  to  take  up  two  large 
oranges.  Could  she  do  it.'^  No.  Because  her 
hands  are  already  full.  Just  so,  when  the  hean 
is  full  of  sin,  you  cannot  have  the  love  of  God  in 
it.  If  you  would  stop  sinning,  my  dear  children 
you  must  repent  of  sin.  If  you  would  serve 
God,  have  him  for  your  Father  and  Friend,  you 
must  repent.  You  all  can  do  it.  You  all  have 
been  sorry  when  you  have  grieved  your  parents, 
and  you  can  be  sorry  when  you  have  offended 
and  grieved  your  blessed  Redeemer.  Oh!  if  you 
will  not,  you  will  grow  up  sinners,  live  sinners, 
die  sinners,  and  be  sinners,  accursed  by  God  for 
ever  and  ever.     Amen. 


70 


LECTURE    IV. 

ANGELS'  JOY  VVIIEN  SINNERS  REPENl . 

lliere  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the  angels  of  God  over  om 
sinner  that  repenteth. — Luke  15.  10. 

Contents. — Who  ever  saw  an  angel  1  What  angels  do.  Many  angels 
How  do  they  feel  ?  Why  they  rejoice.  First  reason.  Home.  Whom 
have  they  seen  ?  The  poor '  oy.  What  is  an  eye  worth  ?  What  is  the  soul 
worth?  The  second  reason.  The  sick  child.  The  little  boy  drowning. 
The  boy  recovered.  Tiie  brazen  serpent.  Three  remarks.  WTiat  peoplp 
talk  about.  Piece  of  gold.  What  men  love.  Sleeping  out  of  doors.  Bit 
ter  medicine.     The  broken  arm.    The  last  remark. 

Did  any  of  these  children  ever  see  au  angel  ? 
No.  Did  1  ever  see  one  ?  No.  Did  any  body 
ever  see  an  angel  ?  Yes.  A  great  many  have. 
Abraham  did.  Lot  did.  David  did.  Christ  did. 
Peter  and  John  did.  And  in  the  Bible  you  read 
of  many  who  have  seen  angels. 

But  though  you  never  saw  an  angel,  yet  you 
all  know  what  an  angel  is.  ^Angels  are  good  spir- 
its, who  love  God  more  than  they  love  one  anoth- 


Leci    4.]  ANGELS'  JOY.  71 


What  angels  do.  Man^  angels. 


er,  and  more  than  they  love  any  thing  else. 
They  live  in  heaven.  And  what  do  you  think 
they  are  doing  there  ?  Idle,  do  you  think  ?  No. 
They  are  never  idle  a  moment.  Sometimes  God 
sends  them  away  on  errands,  just  as  your  paients 
send  you.  Sometimes  they  come  down  to  this 
world  to  do  good  to  good  people  here.  When  a 
good  man  dies,  they  stand  by  his  bed,  and  carry 
his  soul  up  to  heaven,  just  as  you  are  led  by  the 
hand  w^hen  you  do  not  know  the  way. 

And  though  we  cannot  see  them,  yet  I  sup- 
pose some  are  here  in  this  meeting-house  now, 
seeing  you  and  me,  and  looking  to  see  ij'  this 
sermon  will  do  any  good.  What  else  do  they 
do  ?  Why,  if  God  has  no  errands  on  which  to 
send  them,  then  they  sing  his  praises,  and  make 
music  a  thousand  times  sweeter  than  any  which 
we  ever  heard. 

There  are  a  great  many  of  these  angels  in 
heaven  ; — more  than  this  house  would  hold, — 
5 


72  ANGELS'  JOY.  [Lect.  4. 

How  do  angels  feel  ?  W'nj  they  rejoice. 

more  than  a  thousand  or  a  million  of  such  meet- 
ing-houses would  hold,  if  thej  were  all  to  be  seat- 
ed just  as  you  are.  And,  they  are  all  happy. 
Because  not  one  of  them  ever  did  wrong ;  not 
one  ever  spake  a  cross  or  a  wicked  word  ;  not 
one  of  them  ever  told  a  lie ;  not  one  of  them 
ever  sinned,  or  ever  felt  any  kind  of  pain.  And, 
what  is  very  wonderful,  they  love  us.  They 
come  down  here,  and  when  any  body  repents  of 
sin,  they  tell  of  it  in  heaven,  and  they  all  rejoice 
and  are  glad.  Now,  just  read  this  beautiful  text 
again.  "  I  say  unto  you,  There  is  joy  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  angels  of  God  ^ver  one  sinner  that 
repenteth."  Now,  if  1  had  told  you  this  without 
first  finding  it  in  God's  Book,  you  could  not  have 
!)elieved  me.  But  now  we  know  it  must  be  so, 
because  Christ  hath  told  us  so ;  and  he  says, 
*'  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words 
shall  not  pass  away." 

I  wish,  now,  my  dear  children,  to  tell  you  tw^o 


Lkct.  4.]  ANGELS'  JOY.  73 

First  reasoa.  Home. 

plain  reasons  why  the  angels  rejoice  over  every 
sinner  who  repents.  1  could  give  j  om  many  more 
reasons,  but  am  afraid  you  cannot  rememuer  more. 

1.  First,  then,  they  rejoice  when  any  one  re- 
pents, because  they  know  what  heaven  and  hell 
are. 

Now,  suppose  I  had  never  seen  any  one  of  you 
before ;  and  I  should  ask  one  of  these  little  boys 
or  girls  about  their  home.  You  could  tell  me 
about  it — where  you  eat,  where  you  sleep,  where 
you  play,  how  you  are  kept  warm  in  the  cold 
weather, — how  your  parents  take  good  care  of 
you, — where  you  go  to  school, — how  many  ways 
your  parents  take  to  make  you  happy.  You  could 
tell  me  all  about  your  home,  and  your  garden,  and 
all  your  pleasant  things  there,  because  you  June 
always  lived  there. 

Just  so  of  the  angels.  They  have  always  liv- 
ed in  heaven,  and  know  how  pleasant  a  place.it 
is.     And  when  any  one  repents,  the}'  know  he 


74  ANGELS'  JOY.  [Lect.  4. 

Whom  they  have  seen.  The  poor  boy. 

will  go  to  heaven,  and  be  happy  as  they  are. 
They  have  talked  with  good  old  Noah  about  the 
wicked  world  that  was  drowned  in  the  floods 
when  he, 

"  humble,  happy  saint, 

Surrounded  with  the  chosen  few, 

Sat  in  the  ark,  secure  from  fear. 

And  sang  the  grace  that  steered  him  through ! " 

They  have  talked  with  Abraham,  and  Joseph,  and 
David,  and  Paul,  and  all  the  happy  men  in  heav- 
en ;  and  they  know  that  they  are  all  happy,  and 
so  they  rejoice  when  any  one  repents  and  sets 
out  to  go  to  heaven. 

Suppose  you  were  to  see  a  poor  ragged  boy, 
almost  frozen  with  the  cold,  and  who  has  no 
home,  and  no  fire  to  warm  him  by;  and  no  food 
to  eat,  and  no  bed  to  sleep  on,  and  no  friends  to 
take  care  of  him  ;  now,  would  you  not  be  glad  to 
have  some  kind  man  take  that  poor  child  in,  and 
give  him  a  good  home  like  yours  ?     Yes.     1  know 


I.Kxi.  4.J  AxXGELS'  JOY.  75 

NN'lial  is  an  eye  worth  ? 

you  would — 1  know  jou  would,  because  you 
know  what  it  is  to  have  a  pleasant  liome.  Well, 
just  so  the  blessed  angels  feel  when  any  one  re- 
I)ents,  for  they  know  God  will  take  him  to  heaven. 
Children,  what  would  you  let  any  one  take 
some  heavy  tool  and  crush  your  finger  for  ?  For 
a  dollar  ?  No.  For  ten  ?  No.  But  what  would 
you  have  your  arm  cut  off  for  ?  For  a  hundred 
dollars?  No.  For  all  the  playthings  in  the 
whole  world  ?  No.  For  how  much  would  you 
lose  your  reason,  and  be  crazy  ?  For  any  thing 
in  this  world  ?  No.  1  know  you  would  not. 
For  how  much  would  you  have  your  eyes  put 
out,  so  that  you  could  never  again  see  your  friends, 
nor  the  beautiful  light  of  the  glorious  sun  ?  Not 
for  all  the  world.  But,  my  dear  children,  the 
man  who  goes  to  hell  because  he  will  not  repent 
of  sin,  is  worse  off  than  if  he  were  to  lose  an 
arm,  or  his  eyes ;  yes,  worse  off  than  if  he  were 
to  lose   his  reason,  or  be  put  into  the  fire,  and 


76  ANGELS'  JOY.  [Lect.  4 

What  is  the  soul  worth  ?  'Hie  second  reason.  The  sick  child. 

kept  burning  all  day,  and  all  night,  and  a  year, 
and  ten  thousand  years.  For  he  loses  his  soul, 
and  has  not  a  friend  in  heaven,  nor  any  where 
else ;  and,  what  is  more,  he  never  will  have  a 
friend.  He  is  "covered  with  shame  and  ever- 
lasting contempt."  The  holy  angels  know  all 
this,  and  rejoice  when  any  sinner  repents,  and 
thus  escapes  the  punishment  of  hell. 

This  is  the  first  reason.  Can  you  remembei 
it.? 

2.  The  second  reason  why  angels  rejoice  over 
a  sinner  who  repents,  is,  that  till  he  does  repent^ 
it  is  very  uncertain  whether  he  ever  ivilL 

If  one  of  you  were  sick,  and  laid  on  the  bed, 
and  were  so  sick  that  it  was  very  uncertain 
whether  you  would  live  or  die,  your  parents  and 
friends  would  feel  very  anxious  about  you.  They 
would  come  to  your  bed-side,  and  raise  up  your 
feeble  head,  and  inquire  about  your  pain,  and 
send  off  for  the  physician,  and  would  sit  up  with 


L«CT.  4.]  ANGELS'  JOY.  77 


Tlie  little  boy  drowning. 


you  all  night.  Yes,  and  they  would  think  more 
about  their  sick  child,  and  feel  more  anxious  about 
you,  than  about  all  the  rest  of  the  family,  so  long 
as  it  was  uncertain  whether  or  not  you  got  well. 
And  just  so  the  angels  feel,  so  long  as  it  is  un- 
certain whether  or  not  a  sinner  repents. 

Turn  now  to  the  12th  chaj3ter  of  2  Samuel, 
and  see  if  David  did  not  feel  just  so.  As  long 
as  it  was  uncertain  whether  his  child  should  live 
or  die,  he  lay  on  the  ground,  and  fasted  and  pray- 
ed.    This  uncertainty  made  him  feel  very  anxious. 

Suppose  one  of  your  little  brothers  should  fall 
into  the  river,  and  there  sink  down  under  the 
deep  waters,  and  before  he  could  be  got  out,  he 
should  grow  cold,  and  pale,  and  seem  to  be  dead. 
Your  father  takes  the  little  boy  in  his  arms,  and 
carries  him  home,  and  then  they  wrap  him  up  in 
warm  flannels,  and  lay  him  on  the  bed.  The 
doctor  comes,  and  goes  into  the  room  with  your 
fathtjr  and  mother,  to  see  if  it  is  possible  to  save 


78  ANGELS'  JOY.  [Lect  4 


The  boy  recovered. 


the  little  boy's  life.  The  doctor  says  that  nobody 
may  go  into  the  room  but  the  parents.  They  go 
in,  and  shut  the  door,  and  in  a  (ew  minutes  the 
question  is  to  be  dei^ided,  whether  or  not  the 
child  can  live.  Oh,  then,  how  would  you  go 
to  the  door,  and  walk  around  ^v  ith  a  step  soft  as 
velvet,  and  hearken  to  know  whether  the  dear  boy 
lives  !  And  after  you  had  listened  for  some  time, 
treading  softly,  and  speaking  in  whispers,  and 
breathing  short,  the  door  opens,  and  your  mother 
comes  out,  and  there  are  tears  in  her  eyes !  Is 
he  dead  ? — says  one,  in  a  faint,  sinking  w^hisper 
— is  he  dead  ?  Oh,  no — no — your  little  brother 
lives,  and  will  be  well  again  !  Oh,  what  a  thrill 
of  joy  do  you  all  feel  !  What  leaping  up  in  glad- 
ness! Now,  there  is  such  a  joy  in  heaven  over 
one  sinner  that  repenteth.  The  sinner  has  been 
sick,  but  the  gospel  has  been  taken  as  the  remedy, 
and  he  is  to  live  forever.  Do  you  wonder  that 
the  angels  rejoice  at  it  ? 


Leci    4.J  ANGELS'    JOY.  70 

The  brazen  st-rpenl.  Three  remarks. 

Just  turn  to  the  21st  chapter  of  Nuinl)ers,  and 
read  the  account  of  the  healing  of  those  who  had 
been  bitten  by  the  fierj  serpents.  Had  you  been 
there,  you  might  have  seen  parents  carrying  their 
little  children  who  had  been  bitten,  and  who  were 
just  ready  to  die.  The  poison  of  the  serpents  is 
circulating  through  them,  and  they  are  almost 
gone.  The  mother  brings  up  her  child  to  the 
brazen  serpent.  Oh,  how  anxious  is  she,  lest  it 
has  not  got  strength  sufficient  to  look  up  !  How 
tenderly  does  she  gaze  upon  its  face,  as  she  holds 
it  up  to  the  brazen  serpent,  waiting  for  it  to  open 
its  eyes  !  and  what  joy  when  it  does  look  up  and 
live !  So  there  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the 
angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth. 

I  have  now  told  you  the  two  reasons  why  the 
holy  angels  rejoice  when  a  sinner  repents.  I  next 
wish  you  to  hear  three  remarks.  Will  you  remem- 
ber them — all  three  ? 

1.  Most  men  are  not  like  the  holy  angels. 


80  ^  ANGELS'    JOY.  [Lect.  4 

What  people  talk  about.  Piere  of  gold. 

By  being  like  the  angels,  I  do  not  mean,  that 
most  men  do  not  look  like  them  ;  for  nobody  looks 
like  them.  But  I  mean  that  they  do  not  feel  like 
them.  You  hear  men  talk  every  day.  What  do 
they  talk  about  ?  Why,  about  the  weather,  their 
health,  their  cattle,  their  crops,  their  farms,  and 
their  neighbors  ;  but  very  few  say  any  thing  about 
the  repentance  of  sinners. 

\r  Suppose  one  of  you  should  repent  to-day.  I 
should  be  glad,  and  so  would  some  others ;  but 
the  greater  part  of  the  people  in  this  town  would 
know  nothing  about  it ;  or,  if  they  did,  they  would 
care  nothing  about  it.  Not  so  with  the  an- 
gels. They  would  all  rejoice  over  it — would  all 
know  it. 

Suppose  one  of  you  should  find  a  piece  of  gold, 
as  you  go  home,  as  big  as  your  fist.  What  a 
wonder!  All  the  town  would  know  of  it,  and 
talk  about  it,  and  call  you  a  lucky  child ;  but  the 
angels   would  care  nothing  about  it — no,  not  if 


Lect.  4J  ANGELS' JOY.  81 


What  men  love.  Sleeping  out  of  doors. 


you  should  find  gold  enough  to  fill  this  house. 
You  see  why.  Because  they  feel  for  your  soul ; 
while  most  men  think  only  of  this  world.  And 
the  reason  is,  men  are  sinners,  and  most  of  them 
love  any  thing  better  than  repentance.  If  any 
one  of  you  should  repent  to-day,  I  suppose  many 
would  laugh  and  sneer  at  it.  But  not  an  angel  in 
heaven  would  laugh  or  sneer.  You  see,  then, 
how  it  is,  that  the  first  remark  is  true,  that  most 
men  are  not  like  the  holy  angels. 

2.  My  second  remark  is,  that  ive  cannot  go  to 
heaven  without  repenting  of  sin. 

If  a  man  could  go  to  heaven  without  repenting 
of  sin,  then  nobody  would  need  to  repent;  and  ii 
any  one  did  repent,  he  would  be  doing  what  was 
not  needful.  And  if  so,  then  the  angels  would 
rejoice  to  see  men  do  what  they  need  not  do ! 

Suppose  I  should  say  to  you  to-day,  that,  in 
order  to  meet  God  on  the  Sabbath,  and  receive 
God's  blessing,  you  must  sleep  out  on  the  ground 


S2  ANCifELS*    JOY.  [Lect.  4. 

Bluer  medicine.  The  broken  arm. 

all  Saturday  night,  wet  or  cold,  sick  or  well. 
Suppose  you  do  it,  and  i  rejoice  to  see  you  do  it. 
Now,  if  this  be  not  necessary  in  order  to  receive 
God's  blessing,  then  it  would  be  cruel  in  me  to 
wish  to  see  you  doing  it. 

You  know,  when  you  are  sick,  your  parents 
rejoice  to  see  you  swallow,  cheerfully,  the  bitter 
medicine,  because  you  cannot  get  well  without 
taking  it ;  but  if  you  could  get  well  just  as  well 
without,  your  parents  would  never  rejoice  to  see 
you  take  it.  Now,  repentance  is  disliked  as  much 
as  medicine  is ;  and  if  we  could  go  to  heaven 
without  it,  the  holy  angels  would  not  rejoice  to 
see  us  repenthig. 

Suppose,  in  going  home  to-day,  one  of  you 
should  break  his  arm  so  dreadfully  that  it  must  be 
cut  off,  or  else  you  die ;  and  I  should  call  and  see 
you  to-morrow,  and  should  find  the  doctor  there, 
with  his  sharp  tools  all  out,  ready  to  cut  the  arm 
off,.!  should  rejoice  to  have  it  cut  off!    And  why  ^ 


Lect.  4.]  ANGELS'  JOY.  S'A 


The  last  remark. 


Not,  my  dear  children,  because  1  should  love  tc 
see  you  suffer,  or  lose  your  arm  ;  but  because  your 
life  could  not  be  saved  without.  And  thus  yon 
see  why  the  angels  rejoice  so  much  over  one  w  ho 
repents.  It  is  because  none  can  go  to  heaven 
without  repentance. 

3.    My    third    and    last    remark    is,  that  you 
vill  all  be  very  wicked  if  you  do  not  repent  im- 
mediately. 

And  why  ?  Because  you  are  all  sinners ;  and 
because  I  have  read  to  you  Christ's  words,  how 
that  the  angels  would  rejoice  at  it,  and  have  told 
you  ivhy  they  would  rejoice.  No  one  is  too  young 
to  sin,  and  so  it  is  plain  that  no  one  is  too  young 
to  repent.  Because,  too,  that  if  you  do  not  repent, 
you  cannot  go  to  heaven.  You  can  play,  you  may 
grow  up,  you  may  learn  your  books,  you  may 
become  rich,  if  God  spares  your  lives;  and  may 
do  all  this  without  repentance.     But  you  cannot 


84  ANGELS'   JOY.  [Lect.  4. 

The  last  remark. 

go  to  heaven  without.     You  cannot  begin  to  go, 
till  jou  have  a  new  heart. 

And  now,  when  jou  are  riding  or  walking 
heme,  not  knowing  that  you  will  live  to  see 
another  Sabbath ;  when  you  see  the  sun  go  down 
to-day,  not  knowing  as  you  will  live  to  see  him 
ri>e;  as  you  lie  down  to  sleep  to-night,  not 
knowing  that  you  will  ever  open  your  eyes  again 
in  this  world, — will  you  not  remember  what  1  have 
now  told  you,  and  go  before  God  and  repent !  Oh, 
if  you  wiii,  there  will  be  joy  in  heaven  i  ^er  <ou. 
/Vmen. 


85 


LECTURE    V. 

WHAT  FAITH  IS,  AND  WHAT  ITS  USE  IS 
Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  him. — Heij.  11.6. 

Contents. — Lecture  to  be  made  plain.  Different  kinds  of  faith.  The  little 
girl  who  was  g-enerous.  Faith  rewarded,  and  made  plain.  The  glass 
beads.  Faith  in  a  father.  The  storm  at  sea.  Faith  in  God.  Casting 
bread  on  the  waters.  Sowing  rice.  The  old  man  and  his  son.  The 
house  of  the  slave.  The  mother's  faith.  Faith  in  Christ.  Falling  into  the 
river.  Faith  leads  to  obey  God — to  do  good.  The  dying  mother.  Faith 
comforts  us.     The  dead  boy's  lantern. 

I  AM  going  to  make  this  Lecture  verj  plain, 
and,  I  hope,  very  interesting  to  these  children. 
You  may,  at  first,  suppose  it  will  be  about  what 
you  cannot  understand,  and  that  it  cannot  be  in- 
teresting to  you.  But  let  us  see.  I  do  not  be- 
lieve there  will  be  five  of  these  children  who 
will  not  hear  it  all,  and  remember  most  of  what 
I  shall  now  say. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  faith  or  belief  among 
men.  But  only  one  kind  is  the  true  faith,  \\  ith- 
out  which  it  is  impossible  to  please  God,  bee  ause 


86  FAITH  AiND  ITS  USES.  [Lect.  6 


The  little  ffirl  who  was  sonorous. 


only  one  kind  of   lUilh  makes  us  obev  God.     I 
will  explain  it  to  you. 

A  little  girl  was  once  walking  with  her  fa- 
ther, and  they  were  talking  together.  They  were 
talking  about  being  generous.  The  father  told 
the  little  girl  that  it  meant  "  to  give  to  others 
what  would  do  them  good,  even  if  we  had  to  go 
without  ourselves."  He  also  told  her,  that  gen- 
erous people  were  happy ;  because  nobody  could 
deny  himself  any  thing,  in  order  to  give  it  to  an- 
other, without  feeling  happy ; — so  that  no  one 
ever  lost  any  thing  by  being  generous,  because 
God  would  make  him  happy  for  doing  so.  He 
then  asked  her  if  she  believed  this.  She  said, 
"  Yes,  father."  In  the  course  of  their  walk,  they 
went  into  a  bookstore.  The  little  girl  said, 
"  Father,  I  wjuit  one  of  these  new  books  very 
much."  ''So  do  I,"  said  the  father;  "but  1 
cannot  afford  to  buy  each  of  us  one.  But  here 
*\s  some  money  ;  and  you  may  do  just  as  vou 
pira>e  ;    you   may  buy  a  lun^k.  and   z'.^'p  to  your 


Lkct.  5.]  FATTH  AND  ITS  USES.  87 

Faith  rewarded  and  made  plain. 

father,  and  ^^o  withonl  yourself,  or  you  may  buy 
one  for  yourself,  and  I  will  go  without.  Do  just 
as  you  please."  The  little  girl  hung  her  head, 
and  looked  at  the  new  hooks;  but  then  she 
thought  of  what  her  father  had  said  about  being 
generous,  and  she  had  fait/i  in  his  words.  She 
quickly  said,  "  I  will  go  without,  and  father  shall 
have  the  book."  The  book  was  therefore  bought. 
And  the  child  felt  happy,  because  she  had  believ- 
ed her  father,  and  because  she  had  been  gener- 
ous. The  bookseller,  however,  overheard  the 
conversation,  and  was  so  much  pleased  at  seeing 
the  faith  and  the  generosity  of  the  little  girl,  that 
he  gave  her  a  very  beautiful  book. 

This  was  having  faith  in  a  father.  But  this 
is  not  the  kind  spoken  of  in  the  Bible.  For  a 
child  might  believe  a  father,  and  have  a  strong 
faith  in  him,  and  yet  be,  towards  God,  a  very 
wicked  child. 

Mr.  Cecil  gives  us  a  beautiful  account  of  the 
6. 


88  FAITH  AND  ITS  USES  [Lkct.  5 

The  glass  beads. 

manner  in  which  he  taught  his  little  daughter 
what  is  meant  by  f^iith.  "  She  was  playing  one 
day  Avith  a  few  beads,  which  seemed  to  delight 
her  wonderfully.  Her  whole  soul  was  absorbed 
in  her  beads.     I  said, 

"  '  My  dear,  you  have  some  pretty  beads  there.' 

"  *  Yes,  papa.' 

"  '  And  you  seem  to  be  vastly  pleased  with 
them.' 

" '  Yes,  papa.' 

" '  Well,  now,  throw  them  behind  the  fire.' 

"  The  tears  started  into  her  eyes.  She  look- 
tjd  earnestly  at  me,  as  though  she  ought  to  have 
a  reason  for  such  a  cruel  sacrifice. 

" '  Well,  my  dear,  do  as  you  please  ;  but  you 
know  I  never  told  you  to  do  any  thing  which  I 
did  not  think  would  be  good  for  you.' 

''  She  looked  at  me  a  few  moments  longer,  and 
then — summoning  up  all  her  fortitude — her  breast 
heaving  with  the  effort — she  dashed  them  into 
the  fire. 


Lfct  5.1  FAITH  AND  ITS  USES.  89 

Faith  in  a  father. 

"  '  Well,'  said  I  ;  *  there  let  them  lie  ^  you 
shall  hear  more  about  them  another  time  ;  but 
say  no  more  about  them  now.' 

"  Some  days  after,  1  bought  her  a  box  full  of 
larger  beads,  and  toys  of  the  same  kind.  When 
I  returned  home,  I  oy)ened  the  treasure,  and  set 
it  before  her ;  she  burst  into  tears  of  ecstasy. 
*  Those,  my  child,' said  I, 'are  yours;  because 
you  believed  me,  when  1  told  you  it  would  be  better 
for  you  to  throw  those  two  or  three  paltry  beads 
behind  the  fire.  Now,  that  has  brought  you  this 
treasure.  But  now,  my  dear,  remember,  as  long 
as  you  live,  what  faith  is.  You  threw  your 
beads  away  when  I  bid  you,  because  you  had 
faith  in  me,  that  I  never  advised  you  but  for 
your  good.  Put  the  same  confidence  in  God 
Believe  every  thing  he  says  in  his  Word.  Wheth 
er  you  understand  it  or  not,  have  faith  in  him 
that  he  means  your  good.'  " 

This,  too,  was  faith  in  a  father ;  but  the  little 
girl  misht   hnvp  had  it,  even   if  she  had  been  a 


90  FAITH  AND  ITS  USES.  [Lect.  5 

The  storm  at  sea. 

heathen  child.  It  was  not  the  faith  required  in 
the  Bible,  because  it  was  not  faith  in  God 
himself. 

I  will  now  tell  you  what  is  faith  in  the  care 
of  God.  A  lady  and  her  husband  were  standing 
on  the  deck  of  a  ship  during  an  awful  storm. 
The  winds  howled,  and  the  ship  was  tossed  like 
a  feather  over  the  great  waves.  The  lady  had 
to  hold  on  with  both  hands  to  keep  from  falling. 
She  was  very  much  frightened,  and  asked  her 
husband  if  he  was  not  afraid.  He  said  nothing, 
but,  in  a  moment  after,  he  held  a  naked  sword 
with  its  point  close  to  her  breast,  and  asked  her, 

"Are  you  not  afraid  ?" 

"No." 

"  Why  not  ?  Do  you  see  this  sword  within 
an  inch  of  your  heart  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  I  am  not  afraid,  for  it  is  my  hus- 
band w^ho  holds  it  !" 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "and  it  is  my  heavenly  Fa- 
.her/v^ho  holds  this  storm  in  his  hand,  the  winds 


Lect.  5]  FAITH  AND  ITS  USE.S.  91 


F\iilli  in  (tod.  rastinsr  lircad  on  ihp  \v;iicrs 


and  the  wav  es  ;  and  why  should  I  be  afraid  ?  No, 
I  am  not  afraid  ! " 

This  was  faith  in  the  care  of  God.  God 
was  pleased  with  it.  Now  see.  Was  not  the 
gentleman  pleased  to  see  that  his  wife  had  so 
much  faith  in  his  love  as  not  to  be  afraid,  though 
he  held  a  drawn  sword  to  her  heart  ?  Yes,  he 
must  have  been  pleased.  And  so  was  God 
pleased  to  see  him  put  so  much  faith  in  his  care, 
when  the  storm  w^as  raging,  and  the  ship  seemed 
like  being  destroyed. 

The  Bible  tells  us  to  "cast  our  bread  upon 
the  w^aters,  and  we  shall  find  it  after  many  days." 
Let  us  see  what  this  text  means.  Rice  is  the 
food  most  used  in  the  Eastern  countries,  espe- 
cially in  Egypt,  even  to  this  day.  Every  year, 
when  the  snows  all  melt  off  the  mountains,  the 
river  Nile  rises  up  high,  and  overflows  its  banks, 
and  covers  all  the  country  round  it  with  waters. 
The  people  set  down  stakes,  every  man  in  his 
own  land,  before  the  waters  come.     And   when 


92  FAITH  AND  ITS  USES  [Lect  5. 

Sowing  rice. 

the  Nile  has  risen,  and  all  the  ground  is  covered 
with  waters,  they  go  out  in  their  little  boats,  and 
sow,  or  cast  their  rice  upon  the  waters.  The 
rice  sinks  down,  and  sticks  in  the  mud  beneath  ; 
and  when  the  waters  are  gone,  they  find  it  has 
taken  root  and  sprouted,  and  it  grows  up,  and 
gives  them  a  harvest.  This  is  casting  their 
bread  upon  the  waters,  and  finding  it  after  many 
days. 

Here  is  one  kind  of  faith.  The  man  who 
sows  the  rice,  believes  that  it  will  sink,  that  the 
waters  will  go  off  in  due  time,  and  that  he  shall 
come  out  and  find  his  rice  growing.  This  is  a 
kind  of  faith  in  the  Providence  of  God.  But, 
you  know,  this  is  not  the  faith  required  in  the 
Bible,  because  a  very  wicked  man  has  faith  to 
plant  and  sow,  expecting  to  get  a  harvest,  though 
he  forgets  that  God  must  make  every  blade  to 
grow,  if  it  does  grow.  Thousands  have  had 
this  kind  of  faith,  but  it  did  not  make  them  good 
^nd  holy. 


Lect.  5.]  FAITH  AND  ITS  USES.  9*3 

The  old  man  and  his  son. 

Now,  let  me  show  you  what  faith  in  God  is, — 
such  a  faith  as  will  please  God. 

There  was  once  a  man  to  whom  God  spake, 
and  told  him  to  leave  his  home,  his  town,  and  his 
country,  and  go  off  into  a  strange  land,  and  live 
under  a  tent,  and  never  again  have  a  home.  The 
man  asked  no  reasons,  but  obeyed.  After  this, 
he  had  a  son,  his  only  son.  God  told  him  that 
this  son  should  live  and  grow  up,  and  should  be 
the  forefather  of  great  nations,  millions  of  peo- 
ple. But  after  this,  God  told  this  man  to  go  and 
take  this  boy  of  his,  and  take  his  life,  and  burn 
up  his  body  with  fire.  God  gave  him  no  reasons 
for  this  direction.  The  good  man  prepared  to 
obey.  He  got  the  wood  ready  to  burn  the  body 
of  his  dear  child  ;  he  bound  his  hands  and  feet, 
and  put  out  his  hand,  and  took  the  knife  with 
which  to  take  his  life.  God  then  told  him  not 
to  do  it,  but  to  take  a  ram  which  he  would  find 
close  by,  and  kill  him.  This  was  faith  in  God ; 
for  Abraham    (for  that  was  his  name,  and  you 


94  FAITH  AND  ITS  USES.  [Lect.  5 

The  house  of  the  slave. 

will  find  the  whole  account  in  the  22d  chapter  of 
Genesis)  obeyed  God,  because  he  believed  God 
w^as  wise,  and  holy,  and  good,  though  he  could 
not  understand  why  he  told  him  to  do  this. 

Suppose  you  had  lived  while  the  children  of 
Israel  lived  in  Egypt.  And  suppose  you  had  walk- 
ed out  some  pleasant  day,  just  at  night,  down  to- 
wards the  river.  Look,  now,  and  see  what  is  be- 
fore you.  Yonder  is  a  cluster  of  tall  trees,  and 
just  under  them  is  a  little  cottage  or  hovel.  They 
are  poor  folks  who  live  there.  See,  the  house  is 
small,  and  has  no  paint  on  it,  no  windows,  nothing 
about  it  that  looks  comfortable.  This  hovel  is  the 
home  of  slaves.  The  man  and  the  woman  are 
poor  slaves.  But  just  look  in.  ^What  is  that  wo- 
man doing  ?  See  her  weaving  a  little  basket  with 
rushes,  which  she  has  gathered  from  the  banks  of 
the  liver.  See !  she  weeps  as  she  twists  every 
flag ;  and,  by  the  moving  of  her  lips,  you  see  that 
she  is  praying.  She  has  finished  it.  Now,  watch 
Uer       Do  you  see  her  go  to  the  corner  of  the 


Lect.  :..]  FAITH    AND   ITS    USES.  95* 


Tlie  mollier's  faith.  Failli  in  Jesuss  Ciirisi. 


room,  and  there  kneel  down,  and  weej),  and  pray 
over  a  beautiful  little  boy  ?  See  lier  embrace  and 
kiss  him.  Now  she  lays  him  in  the  little  basket; 
now  she  calls  her  little  daughter,  and  tells  her  to 
take  her  little  brother,  and  carry  him,  and  lay  him 
down  by  the  cold  river's  side  !  There  !  now  she 
takes  the  last  look  of  her  sweet  babe ;  now  she 
goes  back  weeping  into  the  house,  and  lifting  her 
heart  to  God  in  prayer,  while  her  daughter  goes, 
and  carries  her  dear  boy,  and  leaves  him  on  the 
bank  of  the  river.  What  will  become  of  him? 
Will  the  crocodiles  eat  him  up?  or  will  the 
waters  carry  him  off  and  drown  him  ?  No,  no. 
That  poor  mother  has  faith  in  God  ;  and  God 
will  take  care  of  her  son.  The  king's  daughter 
will  find  him,  and  save  him ;  and  that  little  in- 
fant is  to  be  Moses,  the  leader  of  Israel,  the 
prophet  of  God,  and  the  writer  of  much  of  the 
Bible !     This  was  true  faith  in  God. 

Faith  in  Jesus  Christ  is  a  strong  belief  in  him ; 
such  a  belief  as  will  lead  us  to  obey  his  commands. 


96  FAITH   AND  ITS   USES.  [Lect.  6 


Falling:  into  the  river. 


We  beli(3ve  there  was  such  a  being  on  earth  once 
as  Christ ;  that  he  did  the  miracles  told  of  in  the 
Testament ;  that  he  was  holy ;  that  he  spake  the 
words  and  the  sermons  told  of  in  the  Testament, 
as  coming  from  him  ;  that  he  died  for  sinners,  and 
rose  from  the  dead,  and  is  gone  to  heaven,  and  now 
lives  there,  and  is  doing  good  to  his  people.  We 
believe  all  that  is  told  us  about  him  in  the  Bible. 
And  if  this  belief  or  faith  is  good  for  any  thing, 
it  will  cause  us  to  love  to  read  the  Bible,  to  obey 
Christ,  to  love  him  and  to  serve  him,  because  he 
will  reward  his  people  forever  beyond  the  grave, 
and  punish  those  who  do  not  obey  him. 

Suppose,  as  a  good  old  writer  says,  you  should 
fall  into  a  river,  which  was  deep,  and  where  the 
watt  r  ran  swiftly,  and  you  were  almost  drowned ; 
and  a  man  should  run  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  and 
call  to  you,  and  throw  you  a  rope.  This  would 
be  just  like  our  Saviour.  We  are  all  perishing  in 
the  "deep  waters"  of  sin;  and  Christ  throws  us 
the  rope,  and  calls  to  us  to  take  hold  of  it.     But 


L«cT.  51  FAITH,   AND  ITS   USEb.  97 

Faith  leads  to  obey  God. 

it  will  all  do  no  good  unless  we  take  hold  of  it. 
Now,  this  taking  hold  of  the  rope  is  faith.  Faith 
makes  us  take  hold  of  Christ,  just  as  you  would 
take  hold  of  the  rope,  when  drowning.  He  draws 
us  from  the  deep  waters ;  and  when  he  has  done 
it,  we  love  him,  we  thank  him,  and  we  obey  him. 

But  I  wish  to  tell  you,  in  a  few  words,  what 
good  faith  doos  us. 

1.  It  makes  us  obey  and  serve  God. 

No  one  will  serve  God  by  leaving  ofif  sin  and 
doing  his  will,  unless  he  has  faith  to  believe  that 
he  will  rewa»*d  all  who  are  good,  and  j)unish  all 
who  remain  wicked.  Who  would  get  any  good 
from  the  Bible,  if  they  have  not  faith  in  it  ?  Who 
would  try  to  govern  the  temper,  the  tongue,  the 
words,  and  the  thoughts,  if  they  did  not  believe 
that  God  will  bring  every  secret  thing  unto  judg- 
ment? No  one.  But  if  we  believe  what  God 
has  told  us  in  his  Word,  we  shall  be  very  careful 
to  do  what  God  commands  us  to  do.  The  sailor 
goes  away  on  the  great  waters,  and  works  hard 


98  FAITH   AND   ITS  USES.  |Lect.  5 

Faith  leads  us  to  do  good. 

and  faithfully,  because  he  has  faith  to  believe  the 
captain  will  pay  him.  So  we  must  have  faith  in 
the  promises  of  God,  if  we  would  serve  him  and 
please  him. 

2.   Faith  makes  us  do  good. 

The  apostles  went  every  where  preaching  the 
gospel,  though  they  were  hated,  and  stoned,  and 
put  in  prison,  and  put  to  death,  because  they  be- 
lieved God,  and  had  faith  in  his  Word,  that  who- 
ever will  repent,  and  love  Christ,  shall  be  saved  ; 
and  whoever  will  not,  shall  be  lost  forever.  It  is 
the  faith  which  led  them  to  endure  such  sufferings, 
that  leads  good  men  now  to  go  to  the  heathen, 
and  preach  to  them,  and  die  among  them.  It  is 
faith  in  God  that  leads  good  men  to  preach,  to 
have  Bible  Societies,  and  to  make  great  efforts, 
and  take  great  pains,  to  have  all  men  every  where 
know,  and  believe,  and  obey  the  Bible.  It  is  this 
faith  wliich  leads  the  praying  mother  to  come  to 
the  bed  of  her  little  child,  and  hear  him  say  his 


Lect.  5]  FAITH   AND  ITS   USES.  99 

The  dying  mother. 

prayers  before  he  shuts  his  eyes  in  sleep.  It  is 
faith  that  comforts  the  dying  mother  as  she  leaves 
this  world,  and  leaves  her  dear  children  behind 
without  any  mother.  I  once  visited  a  dying 
mother,  who  had  this  faith  in  Christ;  and  after 
she  had  called  her  children  around  her  bod,  and 
had  taken  each  one  by  the  hand,  and  had  given 
each  her  advice  and  her  blessing,  and  had  bidden 
them  farewell,  and  was  then  too  much  exhausted 
to  speak  aloud, 

*•  She  made  a  sign 
To  bring  her  babe ;  'twas  brought,  and  by  her  placed. 
She  looked  upon  its  face,  that  neither  smiled 
Nor  wept,  nor  knew  who  gazed  upon  it ;  and  laid 
Her  hand  upon  its  little  breast,  and  sought 
For  it — with  look  that  seemed  to  penetrate 
The  heavens — unutterable  blessings — such 
As  God  to  dying  parents  only  granted 
For  infants  left  behind  them  in  the  world. 
*  God  bless  my  child! '  we  heard  her  say,  and  hen  id 
No  more.     The  an^el  of  the  covenant 


100  FAITH   AND   ITS   USES.  [Lect.  5. 


Failh  comforts  us. 


Was  come ;  and,  faithfal  to  his  promise,  stood, 
Prepared  to  walk  with  her  through  death's  dark  vale. 
And  now  her  eyes  grew  bright,  and  brighter  still, — 
Too  bright  for  ours  to  look  upon,  suffused 
With  many  tears, — and  closed  without  a  cloud. 
\They  set  as  sets  the  morning  star,  which  goes 
iNot  down  behind  the  darkened  west,  nor  hides 
{Obscured  among  the  tempests  of  the  sky, — 
But  melts  away  into  the  light  of  heaven ! " 

3.  Faith  comforts  us,  and  holds  us  up,  in  the 
time  of  trouble. 

There  are  many  times  \\  hen  we  can  have  no 
help  from  any  human  friend.  None  but  God  can 
aid  us.  It  was  so  with  Noah,  when  the  ark  floated 
upon  the  great  waters,  and  nobody  but  God  could 
roll  off  these  waters,  and  make  the  dry  land  ap- 
pear. It  was  so  with  Daniel,  when  thrown  among 
the  fierce  lions,  and  nobody  could  shut  their 
mouths  but  God.  It  is  so  with  every  dying  Chris- 
tian, whether  he  dies  at  home  among  his  friends,  or 


Lect.  5]  FAITH  AND  ITS  USES.  101 

The  dead  boy's  lantern. 

away  from  home  among  strangers,  or  alone  where 
no  one  is  with  him.  See  what  faith  can  do  for  a 
child,  and  in  the  most  awful  situation : — 

"By  a  sudden  burst  of  water  into  one  of  the 
Newcastle  collieries,  thirty-five  men  and  forty-one 
lads  were  driven  into  a  distant  part  of  the  pit,  from 
which  there  was  no  possibility  of  return,  until  the 
water  should  be  drawn  off.  While  this  was  ef- 
fecting, though  all  possible  means  were  used,  the 
whole  number  died,  from  starvation  or  suffocation. 
When  the  bodies  were  drawn  up  from  the  pit,  seven 
of  the  youth  were  discovered  in  a  cavern  separate 
from  the  rest.  Among  these  was  one,  of  peculiar- 
ly moral  and  religious  habits,  whose  daily  reading 
the  Sacred  Scriptures  to  his  widowed  motlier, 
when  he  came  up  from  his  labors,  had  formed  the 
solace  of  her  lonely  condition.  After  his  funeral, 
a  sympathizing  friend  of  the  neglected  poor  went 
to  visit  her;  and  while  the  mother  showed  him, 
us  a  relic  of  her  son,  his  Bible,  worn  and  soiled 


102  FAITH  AND  ITS  USES.  [Lfct.  5 

The  dead  boy's  lantern. 

with  constant  perusal,  he  happened  to  cast  his 
eyes  on  a  candle-box,  with  which,  as  a  miner,  he 
'lad  been  furnished,  and  which  had  been  brought 
up  from  the  pit  with  him :  and  there  he  discover- 
ed the  follovvhig  affecting  record  of  the  filial  affec- 
tion and  steadfast  piety  oi'  the  youth.  In  the  dark- 
ness of  the  suffocating  pit,  with  a  bit  of  pointed 
iron,  he  had  engraved  on  the  box  his  last  message 
to  his  mother,  in  these  words: — 

'^ '  Fret  not,  my  Dear  Mother,— -for  we  loere 
sinking  and  praising  God  while  we  had  time. 
Mother,  follow  God  more  than  I  did,  Joseph,  he  a 
good  lad  to  God  and  mother.^ " 

This  w^as  faith ;  and,  oh,  what  comfort  did  it 
give  this  poor  boy  in  the  hour  of  dying !  and  what 
comfort  to  the  poor  widow,  as  she  wept  over  hei 
dear  son !  May  you,  dear  children,  all  have  such 
a  faith.     Amen. 


103 
LECTURE   VI. 

GOD  WILL  TAKE  CARE  OF  US. 

Consider  the  lilies  of  the  fields  how  they  grow;  they  toil  not^ 
neither  do  they  spin.  And  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  even 
Solomon,  in  all  his  glory,  was  not  arrayed  like  one  oj 
these.— Matt.  6.  28,  29. 

Contents. — How  Christ  preached.  The  rich  man.  God  is  very  rich. 
Hogshead  of  gold.  Many  cattle.  Servants.  Little  boy  and  his  sister. 
Charge  to  angels,  and  beautiful  illustration.  The  garden  lily.  The  cold 
winter  and  the  lily.  The  pond.  Sermon  by  a  lily.  The  poor  heathen 
child.  His  lonely  feelings.  Comes  to  America.  His  death.  Sailing 
of  the  missionaries.  The  hymn.  The  gospel  received.  The  weeping 
mother.  The  ostrich  in  the  wilderness.  Sorrows  to  come.  When  will 
God  be  a  friend? 

Our  Saviour  used  to  preach  any  where,  and 
overy  where,  as  he  met  with  those  who  wanted  to 
hear  him.  Sometimes  he  sat  down  on  the  ground, 
and  sometimes  sat  in  the  boat  on  the  water,  and 
sometimes  stood  in  the  great  temple  and  preached. 
He  used  to  be  very  plain,  and  easy  to  be  under- 
stood. ^He  would  have  preached  finely  to  chil- 
7 


104  GOD  WILL  TAKE  CARE  OF  US.  [Lect.  6. 


The  rich  man. 


dren ;  and  if  he  were  now  to  speak  to  all  these 
children  before  me,  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  sin- 
gle one  who  would  not  understand  all  he  should 
say.  And  yet  it  is  possible,  if  any  one  wants  to 
do  so,  to  misunderstand  even  the  Saviour  himself. 
Now  see.  Suppose  a  lazy  boy  should  read  over 
my  text,  and  then  say,  that  Christ  teaches  us  that 
God  takes  care  of  the  lilies,  though  they  do  no 
work,  and,  therefore,  we  need  not  work,  and  he 
will  take  care  of  us  in  our  idleness.  This  would 
be  to  make  the  Bible  favor  our  sins ;  but  the  Bible 
never  does  that. 

Suppose  you  should  go  '^nd  visit  a  man  who 
was  so  rich  that  he  had  his  trees  covered  with  silk 
of  the  most  beautiful  colors,  and  even  his  most 
ugly  looking  creatures  covered  with  gold  and  sil- 
ver, and  adorned  by  the  most  curious  art !  Would 
you  not  think  him  a  rich  man  ?  And  if  he  were 
known  to  be  a  good  man,  and  true  to  his  word,  and 
he  should  tell  you  that  he  would  be  your  friend, 


Lkct.  6.]  GOD  WILL  TAKE  CARE  OF  U3.  105 

God  is  very  rich.  Hogshead  of  gold. 

and  always  take  care  of  you,  would  you  have  an} 
fear  but  he  would  do  it  ? 

God  is  richer  than  all  this.  *^  He  is  so  rich  that 
he  can  put  more  of  what  is  beautiful  upon  a  single 
lily  or  tulip,  than  the  great  king  Solomon  could  put 
on  all  his  clothing.  The  hoarse,  homely  peacock 
carries  more  that  is  beautiful  upon  his  tail  than 
the  richest  king  could  ever  show.  And  even  the 
poor  butterfly,  which  is  to  live  but  a  few  hours, 
has  a  more  glorious  dress  than  the  proudest,  rich- 
est man  that  ever  lived  God  can  afford  to  dress 
this  poor  worm  up  so,  because  he  is  rich.  If,  then, 
he  can  afford  to  take  such  care  of  the  lilies,  the 
birds,  and  insects,  and  to  make  them  more  beau- 
tiful than  man  can  ever  be,  will  he  not  take  care 
of  us,  if  we  obey  him  ? 

Suppose  you  had  a  rich  father — so  rich  that  he 
had  a  hogshead  full  of  gold,  and  a  great  barn  full 
of  silver.  Do  you  think  that,  if  you  were  to  be  a 
good  child,  he  would  ever  refuse  to  take  care  of 
you  ?     But  God  has  more  gold  and  silver  laid  up 


^  06  GOD  WILL  TAKE  CARE  OF  US.  [Lect.  6 

Many  cattle  Servants. 

m  the  ground,  which  men  have  not  jet  dug  up, 
than  would  make  a  mountain — it  may  be  a  hun- 
dred mountains.     Can  he  not  take  care  of  jou  ? 

Suppose  jour  father  had  more  oxen,  and  horses, 
and  cattle,  than  jou  could  count  over  in  a  daj,  or 
m  a  week.  Would  he  not  be  able  to  take  care  of 
his  child,  and  give  him  every  thing  he  needs  .^ 
Yes.  But  God  has  "cattle  upon  ten  thousand 
hills,"  and  *' ever j  beast  of  the  forest"  is  his, 
and  his  are  '^  all  the  fowls  of  the  air  !"  Can  he 
not  give  jou  food  from  all  these  cattle,  and  clothe 
you,  and  give  you  beds  from  the  feathers  of  all 
these  fowls  ?     Yes,  he  is  able  to  do  it  all. 

Suppose  your  father  was  so  rich  that  he  had 
ten  thousand  men  at  work  for  him  every  day,  all 
at  work,  and  all  paid  to  their  mind,  and  all  happy 
m  working  for  him.  Would  you  have  any  fears 
but  he  could  take  care  of  you,  and  do  you  good  ? 
But  God  has  more  servants  than  these.  He  has 
all  the  good  people  on  earth  in  his  employment, 
and  all  the  angels  in  heaven.     He  pays  them  all 


LEtr.  6.]  GOD  WILL  TAKE  CARE  OF  US  109 

Lillle  boy  aiul  liis  sister. 

And  if  you  need  any  thing,  he  can  send  one,  or  a 
uiiUion  of  these  his  servants  to  you,  to  help  you. 

A  little  boy  asked  his  mother  to  let  him  lead 
his  little  sister  out  on  the  green  grass.  She  had 
just  begun  to  run  alone,  and  could  not  step  over 
any  thing  that  lay  in  the  w^ay.  His  mother  told 
him  he  might  lead  out  the  little  girl,  but  charged 
him  not  to  let  her  fall.  I  found  them  at  play, 
very  happy,  in  the  field. 

I  said,  "You  seem  very  happy,  George.  Is 
this  your  sister  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Can  she  walk,  alone  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir,  on  smooth  ground." 

"  And  how  did  she  get  over  these  stones,  which 
lie  between  us  and  the  house  ?  " 

'•  O,  sir,  mother  charged  me  to  be  careful  thai 
she  did  not  fall,  and  so  I  put  my  hands  under  her 
arms,  and  lifted  her  up  when  she  came  to  a  stone, 
so  that  she  need  not  hit  her  little  foot  against  it." 


110  GOD    WILL    TAKE    CARE    OF   US.  [Lect.  6 

Charge  to  angels,  and  beautiful  illustration.  The  garden  lily 

**That  is  right,  George.  And  I  want  to  tell 
vou  one  thing.  You  see  now  how  to  understand 
ihat  beautiful  text,  *  He  shall  give  his  angels 
charge  concerning  thee,  lest  at  any  time  thou  dash 
thy  foot  against  a  stone.'  God  charges  his  angels 
to  lead  and  lift  good  people  over  difficulties,  just 
IS  you  have  lifted  little  Anne  over  these  stones. 
Do  you  understand  it  now  ? " 

"  O  yes,  sir,  and  I  shall  never  forget  it  while 
I  live." 

Can  one  child  thus  take  care  of  another,  and 
cannot  God  take  care  of  those  who  put  their 
trust  in  him  ?  Surely  he  can ;  and  there  is  not  a 
child  among  you  here  to-day,  over  whom  he  is  not 
ready  to  give  his  holy  angels  charge. 

Did  you  never  see  the  lily  as  it  stands  in 
the  garden  in  the  summer?  God  sends  it  the 
pure  sunshine,  and  it  seems  to  rejoice  in  his 
warm  beams.  He  sends  it  the  cooling  dews, 
and  it  seems   to   drink   in   their   sweetness   like 


Lkct.  6]  GOD  WILL  TAKE   CARE  OF  US.  Ill 


'I'he  cold  winter  and  ihe  lily. 


milk.  The  clouds  gather,  the  storm  rnges,  the 
rains  pour  down,  the  winds  sweep  along.  See  ! 
the  lily  has  shut  up  its  blossom,  and  folded  its 
leaves,  and  meekly  bows  its  head,  and  bends  to 
the  wind,  and  asks  no  eye  to  gaze  on  it,  while 
the  storm  lasts.  God  has  taught  it  to  do  thus, 
till  the  smile  shall  again  follow  the  tempest.  It 
is  not  injured.  It  opens  and  smiles  again.  So 
does  God  teach  the  good.  The  Christian  thus 
rejoices  when  blessed  ;  and  when  troubles  and 
sorrows  come,  he  meekly  bows  and  waits  till 
God  remembers  him  and  removes  the  storm. 

You  have  seen  the  lily,  in  the  fall,  when  the 
frosts  came,  drop  its  head,  and  droop,  and  die. 
The  stalk  on  which  the  sweet  flower  waved  all 
summer,  is  gone,  and  the  spot  where  it  stood  is 
forgotten.  But  see  the  care  of  God  for  that  lily. 
The  cold  winter  goes  past,  the  sunshine  of  spring 
returns,  the  young  buds  swell  and  open,  and  the 
lily,  which  has  only  been  sleeping  in  the  ground, 


112  GOD    WILL    TAKE   CARE  OF  US.  [Leci   o. 

The  pond  lily. 

puts  up  its  meek  head,  and  rises  again  to  beautj 
and  glory.  God  takes  care  of  the  frail,  beautiful 
plant,  and  will  not  let  it  perish  forever.  So  you 
have  seen  the  beautiful  little  child,  which  stood, 
like  the  flower  in  the  garden,  struck  down  by 
sickness,  and  cut  down  by  death,  and  laid  in  the 
little  grave.  But  God  will  take  care  of  it.  The 
long  winter  will  be  over;  and  though  that  dear 
child  is  forgotten  by  every  body  on  earth,  yet  it 
is  not  forgotten  by  God.  There  is  a  day  coming 
when  God  will  come  down  from  heaven,  and  send 
his  angel  to  call  this  child  from  the  long  sleep 
of  the  grave,  and  it  will  come  up  from  the  ground 
fair  and  glorious  on  the  morning  of  the  great  day. 
Do  you  ask  how  it  can  be  ?  Let  me  ask  you  one 
question. 

Did  you  ever  see  a  pond  covered  over  with 
hard  ice,  thick  and  cold,  all  the  long  winter? 
Well,  the  spring  comes,  and  the  ice  melts  away, 
and  the  lily-seed,  which  has  so  long  been  sleeping 


Lect.  6.]  GOD  WILL  TAKE  CARE  Ol'  US.  113 

Sermon  by  a  lily. 

in  the  mud  at  the  bottom  of  the  pond,  springs  up, 
and  shoots  up,  and  opens  its  beautiful  white  flower, 
on  the  top  of  the  smooth  water,  and  seems  to 
smile  as  it  looks  up  towards  heaven.  How  is 
this  done  ?  By  the  care  and  the  power  of  that 
God  who  watches  over  all  his  works,  and  who 
will  take  care  of  the  flower-seed,  and  of  the  im- 
mortal spirit  of  every  child. 

While  too  many  people,  who  know  about  God, 
seem  to  live,  day  after  day,  for  years,  without  lov- 
ing, or  obeying,  or  even  speaking  of  God,  you 
can  almost  hear  the  lily  speak,  as  if  preaching, 
and  say, — 

"  I  acknowledge  the  presence  of  God,  my 
Maker.  When  he  passes  by  me  on  the  soft  wings 
of  the  breeze,  I  wave  my  head  as  he  passes ; 
when  he  rides  on  the  whirlwind  or  the  storm,  I 
bow  and  tremble ;  when  he  draws  over  me  the 
curtains  of  the  night,  I  feel  safe,  and  go  to  sleep  ; 
when  he  opens  upon  me  the  eye  of  morning,  J 


114  GOD   WILL  TAKE  CARE  OF  US.  [Lect.  6. 


The  poor  heathen  child. 


wake  up,  and  drink  in  the  fresh  beams  of  his  sun  ; 
and  when  he  sends  his  chilling  frosts,  I  let  my 
frail  body  perish,  and  hide  myself  in  the  ground, 
knowing  that  he  will  again  raise  me  up  to  life  and 
beauty ! " 

Some  years  ago,  there  was  a  poor  child  left 
alone,  at  the  death  of  his  parents,  in  a  distant 
island  of  the  ocean.  His  people  were  all  heathen, 
wicked  people.  His  father  and  mother  were 
killed  in  a  cruel  war.  Now,  see  how  God  takes 
care  of  his  creatures.  Let  us  hear  his  own  ac- 
count of  the  thing.  *'  At  the  death  of  my  parents, 
I  was  with  them ;  I  saw  them  killed  with  a  bayo- 
net— and  >vith  them  my  little  brother,  not  more 
than  two  or  three  months  old — so  that  I  was  left 
alone  without  father  or  mother  in  this  wilderness 
world.  Poor  boy,  thought  1  within  myself,  after 
they  were  gone,  are  there  any  father  or  mother 
of  mine  at  home,  that  I  may  go  and  find  them  at 
horn*;.^    No;  poor  boy  am  I.     And  while  I  was 


Lect  6.]  GOD   WILL  TAKE  CARE  OF  US.  115 


His  lonely  ffeliiigs.  Comes  to  America. 


at  play  with  other  children,  after  we  had  made  an 
end  of  playing,  they  return  to  their  parents, — bui 
1  was  returned  into  tears, — for  I  have  no  home, 
neither  father  nor  mother.  I  was  now  brought 
away  from  my  home  to  a  stranger  place,  and  1 
thought  of  nothing  more  but  want  of  father  or 
mother,  and  to  cry  day  and  night.  While  I  was 
with  my  uncle,  for  some  time  I  began  to  think 
about  leaving  that  country,  to  go  to  some  othei 
part  of  the  globe.  I  thought  to  myself  that  if  1 
should  get  away,  and  go  to  some  other  country, 
probably  I  may  find  some  comfort,  more  than  to 
live  there,  without  father  and  mother." 

This  poor  boy,  thus  left,  an  orphan,  in  a  hea- 
th.m  country,  was  under  the  care  of  God.  He 
ielt  the  island,  and  came  to  this  country.  Here 
he  found  kind  friends,  who  took  care  of  him,  and 
taught  him  to  read  and  write,  and  who  took  great 
pains  to  teach  him  about  God  and  about  Jesus 
Christ.  He  became  a  true  Christian,  and  a 
deiT  youth  he  was.      He  wanted  to  go  back  to 


116        GOD  WILL  TAKE  CARE  OF  US.     [Leci.6. 


His  death.  The  sailing  of  the  missionaries. 


liis  country,  to  tell  his  people  about  God  and 
Jesus;  but  just  as  he  had  gotten  his  education, 
and  was  ready,  he  was  taken  sick,  and  died.  His 
Piame  was  Henry  Obookiah.  He  died  with  *'a 
hope  full  of  immortality."  His  grave  is  in  Corn- 
wall, Conn.  But  he  lived  not  in  vain.  By 
means  of  his  life  and  death,  good  men  felt  so 
much  for  his  poor  countrymen,  that  many  good 
missionaries  have  gone  to  those  islands,  and  there 
built  churches,  and  printed  school  books,  opened 
schools,  printed  the  Bible,  and  taught  many  thou- 
sands to  read  and  to  know  God.  The  foolish 
idols  are  destroyed,  and  they  are  becoming  a 
Christian  nation. 

I  remember  when  the  missionaries  first  set  out 
for  that  country.  They  sailed  from  New  Haven  ; 
and  before  they  entered  the  ship,  and  as  they  took 
leave  of  their  dear  friends,  amid  a  great  company 
of  Christians,  they  all  united  in  singing  a  beautiful 
hymn.  Three  verses  of  this  1  will  now  read  to 
you. 


Lect.6.]      god  will  take  CARE  OF  US 


1  De  h;  mil.  The  gospel  received. 

'*  Wake,  isles  of  the  South  !  your  redemption  is  near  ; 

No  longer  repose  in  the  borders  of  gloom  ; 
If  he  strength  of  his  chosen  in  love  will  appear, 

And  light  shall  arise  on  the  verge  of  the  tomb. 

The  heathen  will  hasten  to  welcome  the  time, 
The  day-spring,  the  prophet  in  vision  once  saw, 

When  the  beams  of  Messiah  will  'lumine  each  clime, 
And  the  isles  of  the  ocean  shall  wait  for  his  law 

And  thou,  Obookiah,  now  sainted  above, 

Shalt  rejoice  as  the  heralds  their  mission  disclose  ; 

And  thy  prayers  shall  be  heard,  that  the  land  thou  didst  jove 
May  blossom  as  Sharon,  and  bud  as  the  rose  ! " 

Oh !  what  care  and  goodness  in  God,  thus  to 
guide  this  lonely  child  to  this  country,  and,  by  his 
means,  lead  many  to  go  and  carry  the  gospel  to 
that  whole  nation !  The  Sabbath  is  now  known 
there,  and  many  thousands  have  already  learned 
to  read  the  Word  of  God ;  and  we  believe  multi- 
tudes have  become  true  Christians,  and  have  fol- 
lowed Henry  to  the  presence  of  God  in  heaven 


118  GOD  WILL  TAKE  CARE  OF  US.  [Lect.  1 

The  weeping  mother. 

When  they  were  heathen,  they  used  to  kill  almost 
all  their  children  when  they  were  small  ;  and 
many  of  them  were  murdered,  and  given  to  their 
idol  gods.  One  day,  when  the  little  church  there 
was  sitting  down  at  the  communion  table,  a  poor 
woman,  who  had  been  a  heathen,  but  who  was 
now  a  Christian,  was  seen  to  weep  most  bitterly. 
One  of  the  ministers  asked  her  why  she  wept  and 
wrung  her  hands.  "Oh!"  said  she,  "why  did  1 
not  know  of  this  blessed  God  before  !  Why  did 
I  not !  I  once  had  six  sweet  children — they  are 
all  gone — 1  murdered  them  all  with  my  own 
hands!  But  oh,  if  1  had  known  about  God  as  1 
now  do,  they  would  have  been  alive  now ! " 
They  have  now  done  with  the  cruel  practice  of 
murdering  their  children.     They  know  better. 

Perhaps  some  of  my  little  hearers  are  orphans, 
— have  no  father,  or  no  mother.  I  can  feel  for 
such ;  for  I  know  what  it  is  to  stand  by  the  grave 
of  a  father  when  a  child.     But  let  me  say  to  you, 


lfct.  g.]         god  will  take  care  of  us.  119 

The  ostrich  in  the  wilderness.  Sorrows  to  come. 

tliat  God  \^  ill  take  care  of  you.  He  takes  care 
of  the  lily.  You  have  heard  of  the  ostrich,  that 
great  bird  which  lives  in  the  wilderness.  She 
lays  her  eggs  in  the  sand,  and  then  leaves  them 
forever.  The  warm  sun  hatches  out  the  young 
ostrich,  and  there  is  no  mother  to  feed  and  take 
care  of  it.  But  God  takes  care' of  it,  and  feeds 
it ;  and  will  he  not  much  more  take  care  of  the 
child  who  has  lost  father  or  mother,  if  that  chuu 
ask  him  to  be  a  father  ?     Surely  he  will 

Children,  you  have  all  yet  to  meet  with  trials 
and  disappointments.  You  are  meeting  with 
lliem  every  day.  You  will  have  sickness,  and 
pain,  and  sorrow,  and  you  want  a  friend  whose 
love  cannot  change.  You  must  die,  and  be  buried 
up  in  the  ground  ;  and  you  want  God  to  take  care 
of  you,  \\  liether  you  li^^e  in  this  world  or  in  the 
next.  Well,  God  will  be  such  a  friend  to  you  on 
these  conditions  : — 

[.  You  must  ask  him  to  be  your  father  and 


120  GOD  WILL  TAKE  CARE  OF  US.  [Lkct.  t 

When  will  God  be  a  friend  ?  Conditions. 

friend.  Ask  him  every  day,  and  feel  that  without 
his  blessing  upon  you  every  day,  your.,  feet  may 
fall,  your  eyes  fill  with  tears,  and  }our  soul  meet 
with  death.     Ask  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. 

2.  You  must  promise  him  sincerely  that  you 
will  obey  him  and  do  his  will.  Suppose  you  had 
no  father  or  no  mother,  and  a  great,  and  good,  and 
rich  man  were  to  offer  to  take  you,  and  take  care  of 
you,  and  make  you  his  own  child,  and  should  say 
he  would  do  it  all,  on  the  condition  that  you 
obliged  him  and  did  his  will, — would  you  not  at 
once  promise  to  do  it  ?  And  so  you  ought  to 
promise  God. 

3.  You  must  love  God  as  you  would  the  best 
father  in  the  world.  Love  his  Son,  because  he  is 
the  express  image  of  the  Father.  Love  his  word, 
his  people,  his  service,  his  commands,  his  duties, 
and  thus  give  him  your  heart,  and  he  will  be  your 
friend  forever  and  ever.     Amen. 


121 
LECTURE   VII. 

JESUS  CHRIST  TASTING   DEATH. 

hsus — who  J  hy  the  grace  of  God,  should  taste  death  for 
every  man. — Hebrews  2.  9. 

Contents.— Figurative  language.  Fields  smiling.  The  sea  afraid.  Mean- 
ing of  the  text.  How  they  used  to  put  people  to  death.  Socrates'  dea'h. 
Long  row  of  prisoners.  Christ  drinking  the  cup  of  poison.  Children  of  Is- 
rael. The  court-house.  The  young  prisoner.  His  plea.  His  home.  His 
family.  The  parting.  Killing  his  parents.  The  compassionate  judge. 
The  pardon.  Christ  died  for  us.  All  saved  ?  The  hospital.  The  house 
for  ail  the  blind.  Offered  to  all.  A  question  answered.  Light  for  all. 
Water  for  all.  Salvation  of  Christ  free.  A  thing  to  be  remembered.  The 
story  of  the  slave.  The  good  man.  The  slave  bought.  Ingratitude.  All 
men  slaves.     John  Howard.     Four  things  to  be  done. 

If  I  should  speak  about  Jigtirative  language,  1 
wonder  if  these  children  would  know  what  1 
mean?  Some,  no  doubt,  would.  But  lest  all 
could  not  understand  it,  I  will  tell  you  what  I 
mean.  If  I  should  walk  out  with  one  of  these 
children,  on  some  fair  and  beautiful  morning,  and 
see  the  bright  sun,  and  the  trees  full  of  blossoms, 
and  the  ground  covered  with  green  grass,  and 
8 


12'/i  CHRIST  TASTING  DEATH  [Ljjct.  " 

Meaning  of  the  text.  How  they  used  to  put  people  to  death. 

hear  the  birds  sing,  I  might  stop  and  say  to  my 
iittle  friend,  "  How  pleasant !  The  very  fields 
smile  !^^  By  this  I  should  not  mean  that  the 
(ields  have  eyes,  and  a  mouth,  and  a  face,  and 
can  smile,  just  as  we  do.  But  this  is  figurative 
language.  So  when  the  Bible  says,  "  The  sea 
saw  God,  and  was  afraid,"  it  means  the  waters 
rolled  back,  and  went  away,  just  as  a  man  would 
run  away  when  he  was  afraid.  This  is  figurative 
language.  The  sea  rolled  back,  just  as  if  it  were 
afraid.  The  fields  look  pleasant,  just  as  a  man 
does  when  he  smiles. 

Now,  see  if  you  cannot  u  ^derstand  this  beauti- 
ful text.  In  the  times  when  the  Bible  was  writ- 
ten, they  used  to  put  men  to  death,  who  had 
broken  the  laws,  in  different  ways.  Some  weie 
stoned  to  death.  Some  were  drowned.  But  one 
very  common  way  was,  to  make  them  take  a  cup 
and  drink  what  was  in  it.  This  cup  used  to  have 
poison  in  it.     The  condemned  man  drank  it,  and 


Lect.  7.]  CHRIST  TASTING  DEATH.  12S 


Socrates'  death.  Long  row  of  prisoners. 


in  a  few  moments  was  dead.  In  this  way  Socra- 
tes, one  of  the  best  heathen  that  ever  lived,  and 
put  to  death  unjustly,  died.  "The  fatal  cup  was 
brought.  Socrates  asked  what  was  necessary  for 
him  to  do.  'Nothing  more,'  replied  the  ser- 
vant, '  than,  as  soon  as  you  have  drank  it,  to  walk 
about  till  you  find  your  legs  grow  weary,  and  af- 
terwards lie  down  upon  your  bed.'  He  took  up 
the  cup  without  any  emotion  or  change  in  his 
color  or  countenance — and  then  drank  off  the 
whole  draught  with  an  amazing  tranquillity." 

Now,  this  text  represents  all  men  as  guilty  of 
crime,  and  justly  condemned  to  die.  It  is  just  as 
if  all  \v(  re  shut  up  in  prison,  and  doomed  to 
drink,  each  a  cup  full  of  poison.  Just  suppose 
the  prison  doors  to  be  opened,  and  the  poor  men 
all  brought  out  and  placed  in  a  long  row,  and 
each  man  holding  a  cup  of  poison  in  his  hand, 
which  he  must  drink.  Then,  at  that  moment, 
Jesus   Chiist    comes  along,  and  pities  the  pool 


124  CHRIST  TASTING  DEATH.  [Lect. 

Christ  drinking  the  cup  of  poison.  Children  of  Israel. 

guilty  prisoners,  and  goes  slowly  along,  takes 
each  cup  out  of  the  hand,  and  drinks  it  himself! 
This  is  drinking,  or  "  tasting  death  for  (n(  i y 
man  !"  This  is  just  as  if  Christ  had  done  so  for 
sinners.  This  is  figurative  language ;  but  you  now 
understand  it ;  and  whenever  you  read  over  this 
delightful  text,  you  will  know  it  means,  that 
Christ  died  for  sinners,  and  thus  saved  them  from 
hell,  just  as  he  would  save  the  poor  prisoners,  if 
he  should  drink  the  cup  of  poison  for  each  one ! 

You  know  how  mercies  may  come  to  people 
sometimes,  not  on  their  own  account,  but  on  the 
account  of  others.  To  make  this  plain  : — -The 
children  of  Israel  all  sinned  against  God  in  the 
wilderness,  and  God  was  about  to  kill  them  all. 
But  Moses  went  and  prayed  for  them  ;  and  God 
heard  his  prayers,  and  spared  the  wicked  He- 
brews  for  the  sake  of  Moses.  When  Joseph  was 
sold  a  slave  in  Egypt,  God  blessed  his  master,  and 
blessed  all  Egypt,  for  the  sake  of  Joseph.     And 


L«CT.  7.j  CHRIST  TASriNG  nt-MTH.  125 

The  court-house.  The  youv.g  prisoner. 

men  who  are  guilty,  and  who  deserve  to  die,  can 
sometimes  be  forgiven  for  the  sake  of  others,  who 
are  not  guilty.  This  I  will  try  to  make  plain  to 
you. 

Suppose,  in  one  of  your  walks,  you  go  into 
the  court-house,  while  the  court  are  doing  their 
business.  You  go  in,  and  find  the  great  room 
full  of  people.  A  young  man  has  just  been  tried 
for  committing  an  awful  crime.  The  lawyers 
have  done  pleading  for  him,  and  he  is  proved  to 
be  guilty.  He  must  die  ;  and  he  has  now  been 
brought  into  the  court  to  hear  the  sentence  of 
death.  The  judge  rises  up  with  a  paper  in  his 
hand,  on  which  the  sentence  is  written.  He 
looks  towards  the  young  man,  and  says,    • 

"  Young  man,  the  court  have  found  you  guilty. 
Is  there  any  reason  why  the  sentence  of  death 
should  not  now  be  pronounced  upon  you  ?  " 

The  young  man  rises  up.  His  hands  are 
clasped  together  in  agony.     The  sheriff  stands 


126  CHRIST  TASTING  DEATH  [Lect.  7 


His  plea.  His  home. 


close  bj  him,  so  that  he  shall  not  escape.  He 
stands  a  moment,  and  the  tears  fall  fast  from  his 
cheeks.     He  falters, — and  then  speaks  : — 

"  Sir,  I  have  to  thank  jou  for  the  kind  manner 
in  which  I  have  been  tried.  I  deserve  to  die, 
and,  for  myself,  I  cannot,  and  I  do  not,  ask  for 
life.  But,  sir,  far  away  from  this,  in  a  remote 
corner  of  the  country,  there  is  a  high  mountain 
rising  up  towards  heaven.  At  the  foot  of  that 
mountain  is  a  beautiful  meadow,  with  a  sweet 
little  brook  winding  through  it.  On  the  banks 
of  that  brook,  and  just  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain, stands  a  little  cottage,  under  the  lofty  elms 
that  hang  over  it.  And  there  I  spent  my  boy 
hood.  The  stream  was  never  dry,  and  the 
meadows  were  always  green.  There  I  lived, 
gay  as  the  lark  which  flew  over  m.y  head  ;  and 
in  that  little  cottage  there  lives  an  old,  worn-out 
soldier,  who  fought  and  bled  for  his  country. 
You  can  remember  how  you  and  he  fought  side 


Lkct.  7.]  CHRIST  TASTING  DEATH.  129 


His  family.  The  parting.  Killing  his  parents. 


by  side,  and  how  he  once  saved  the  life  of  his 
general,  at  the  risk  of  his  own.  He  is  an  old 
man  ; — his  hair  is  gray ; — he  leans  upon  a  staff 
when  he  walks.  And  beside  him  sits  a  feeble 
woman.  They  are  my  father  and  my  mother. 
At  their  feet  sit  my  two  little  sisters,  who,  every 
night,  go  to  the  little  window,  and  stand  and 
watch  as  long  as  they  can  see,  in  hopes  to  see 
me  return.  For,  when  I  left  my  home,  and  my 
father  laid  his  hand  on  my  head,  and  prayed  foi 
me,  and  my  mother  wept  her  blessing  over  me, 
and  my  sisters  hung  upon  my  arm,  I  promised  to 
return  again,  and  be  the  comfort,  the  stay,  and 
the  staff  of  that  family.  And  now,  sir,  when  I 
am  gone, — when  I  am  cut  off  with  all  the  sins 
of  my  youth  fresh  upon  me, — the  tidings  wil!  all 
go  to  that  distant  cottage,  and  the  news  will  kill 
that  old  man,  my  father,  and  that  aged  woman, 
my  mother.  Yes,  they  will  sink  down  in  sorrow 
to    the    grave;  and    my  orphan  sisters   will    he 


130  CHRIST  TASTING  DEATH.  [Lect.  7. 

The  compassionate  judge.  The  pardon. 

lurned  out  upon  a  world  whose  chanties  \\  ill  be 
cold  towards  the  sisters  of  one  who  died  on  the 
gallows.  Oh,  sir,  how  can  I  die,  and  bury  that 
family  in  ruin  !  Oh,  save  me,  for  the  sake  of  that 
old  soldier,  who  shed  his  blood  freely  for  his 
country,  and  that  mother,  whose  prayers  will 
cover  your  head  as  long  as  she  lives,  and  those 
sisters,  who  will  never  lie  down  without  praying 
for  you !  For  my  sake,  I  dare  not  ask  life ;  but 
for  their  sakes,  I  ask  and  entreat  it !  " 

The  humane  judge  is  moved  ;  he  is  a  father, 
and  he  weeps.  He  says,  ''  Young  man,  I  cannot 
pardon  you.  I  must  pass  the  sentence  of  the 
law  upon  you.  But  I  will  commend  you  to  the 
governor,  who  has  the  power  to  pardon  you.  I 
will  tell  him  your  story,  and  I  hope,  for  the  sake 
of  that  old  soldier,  your  father,  he  will  pardon 
you ;  but  till  his  mind  is  known,  you  are  con- 
demned." 

Now  follow  the  good  judge.     He  goes  to  the 


LECT.  7.]  CHRIST  TASTING  DEATH.  I31 


Christ  died  for  us.  All  saved  ?  The  hospital. 

governor.  He  states  the  case,  the  crime,  the 
guilt  of  the  youth.  He  also  states  the  situation 
of  the  old  father  whose  only  son  is  condemned 
to  the  gallows.  The  governor  listens.  His 
heart,  too,  is  moved,  and  he  pardons  the  young 
man,  and  sends  him  home,  not  because  he  de- 
served pardon,  but  for  the  sake  of  his  father's 
family.  This,  now,  is  a  plain  case,  where  a  man 
may  receive  pardon  for  the  sake  of  another. 
Just  so,  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  men  may 
be  pardoned  by  God,  and  prepared  for  heaven. 
In  this  way  have  more  good  people  gone  to 
heaven  than  we  could  count — a  multitude  from 
every  nation  under  heaven. 

But  perhaps  I  should  here  ask  you  a  question. 
If  Christ  died  for  all  men,  tasted  death  for  every 
man,  will  every  man,  of  course,  go  to  heaven  ?  I 
answer.  No;  not  of  course.  Let  me  show  you 
how  it  is.  At  Boston  they  have  built  a  great 
and  a  beautiful  house  for  sick  people  to  be  carried 


132  CHRIST   TASTING   DEATH.  [Lect.  7 

The  house  for  all  ihe  blind.  Offered  to  all. 

to,  in  order  to  be  taken  care  of,  and  cured.  It  is 
called  a  hospital.  It  is  built  for  the  use  of  every 
man  in  Massachusetts — if  he  chooses  to  go  to  it. 
It  is  so  that  any  person  who  wishes  may  go  there 
and  enjoy  its  accommodations.  Now,  if  any  body 
does  not  feel  sick,  he  need  not  go  there.  He  ma^ 
be  sick  at  home,  if  he  chooses.  Still  he  has  a 
right  to  go  to  the  hospital.  It  was  built  for  every 
body.  So  Christ  died  for  all  men,  and  is  ready  to 
save  all  men ;  but  if  any  do  not  feel  their  need  of 
him,  or  if  they  choose  to  go  somewhere  else  for 
pardon,  they  can,  and,  of  course,  they  are  not 
saved  by  Christ. 

Suppose  I  am  a  rich  man,  and  I  build  a  great 
house,  and  call  it  the  house  for  blind  people  ;  and 
print  it  in  all  the  newspapers,  that  the  house  is  all 
ready  and  complete,  and  that  every  blind  child  in 
the  land  may  come  and  live  in  it ;  that  I  will  give 
hin  food  and  clothing,  will  have  him  instructed, 
and  will  even  cure  him  of  his  blindness.     But  I 


Lbct.  7]  CHRIST  TASTING    DEATH.  133 

A  question  answered. 

have  one  condition  ;  and  that  is,  that  all  the  blind 
children  who  come  shall  behave  well,  and  be  good 
children,  and  obey  all  the  rules  of  the  house, 
"^['his  would  be  a  house  for  all  the  blind  in  the  land. 
But  would  all  come  to  it  ?  No.  Some  would 
say,  they  do  not  wish  to  be  fed  and  clothed.  Some 
would  say,  they  do  not  wish  to  be  taught.  And 
some  would  say,  they  do  not  wish  to  be  cured  ;  they 
had  as  lief  be  blind  as  not.  And  thus  there  might 
be  multitudes  who  are  blind,  but  who  receive  no 
good  from  my  house.  Just  so  with  men  in  regard 
to  Jesus  Christ.  All  may  go  to  him  and  be 
saved  ;  but  all  will  not  choose  to  go ;  and  none 
will  be  saved  except  those  who  do  go  to  him,  and 
who  obey  him. 

But  will  God,  perhay)s  you  ask,  provide  for  all, 
and  yet  all  not  receive  salvation?  ^  Will  he  lay  a 
foundation  for  a  great  church,  and  yet  set  only  a 
small  building  on  it?  I  reply  to  you,  that  God 
has  provided  a  Saviour,  who  is  able  and  willing  to 
save  all  men ;  and  yet  he  will  save  none  but  thos^j 


134  CHRIST  TASTING   DEATH.  FLErx.  7 

Light  for  all.  Water  for  all. 

who  break  off  from  sin,  and  obey  him.  What 
child  needs  to  have  me  tell  him  that  God  provides 
many  blessings  which  all  do  not  enjoy,  though  all 
might,  if  they  chose?  He  has  created  sunshine 
enough  for  all.  But  some  are  so  wicked  that 
they  had  rather  be  thieves,  and  go  to  steal  in  the 
night,  and  sleep  when  the  sun  shines.  Still  there 
is  light  enough  for  all,  if  all  choose  to  use  it.  So, 
also,  God  has  created  water  enough  to  supply 
every  thirsty  man  on  earth ;  but  some  choose  not 
to  drink  it;  they  had  rather  drink  some  strong 
drink,  which  destroys  them.  But  there  is  water 
enough,  and  it  is  their  fault  if  they  do  not  use  it. 
Does  any  man  ever  say  that  God  could  not  and 
did  not  write  the  Bible  ?  or  that  God  has  not 
ap])ointed  and  blessed  the  holy  Sabbath,  because 
so  many  people  choose  to  break  the  Sabbath, 
and  waste  it  ?  No.  In  all  these  cases,  w^e  know 
that  God  has,  in  mercy,  provided  these  blessings, 
and  then  left  men  to  do  as  they  please  about  en- 
'oying  them. 


Lect.  7.]  CHRIST  TASTING  DEATH.  ]35 

Salvation  of  Christ  free.  A  ihin;^  to  he  reinemhcrcd. 

It  is  just  SO  with  the  salvation  by  Jesus  Christ. 
It  is  as  free  as  the  water  which  flows  from  the 
clouds  ;  but,  then,  men  may  do  as  they  please  about 
going  to  Christ  for  it.  ^  He  healed  every  sick  man 
who  came  to  him,  when  he  was  on  earth  ;  but  if 
any  were  sick,  and  did  not  go  to  him,  or  send  to 
him,  such  he  did  not  heal. 

I  have  almost  done  this  Lecture.  But  I  want 
to  say  a  word  more  to  these  dear  children,  and  to 
say,  if  I  can,  such  a  thing,  and  in  such  a  manner, 
that  they  will  not  forget  it.  What  I  wish  to  say  is 
this,  that  it  is  very  wrong  not  to  love  Jesus  Christ 
for  his  mercy  in  tasting  death  for  every  man. 

Now,  suppose  1  should  say  to  you,  *'  Children, 
I  am  now  going  to  tell  you  a  story  about  myself; 
and  the  story  is  this.  Just  suppose  it  true.  I 
was  once  out  on  the  great  waters,  far  out  upon 
the  ocean,  in  a  large  ship,  going  to  the  Indies. 
On  one  fine  morning,  another  ship  came  in  sight, 
and  bent  her  course  so  as  to  come  straight  to- 


136  CHRIST  TASTING  DEATH.  [Lkct.  7. 


The  storv  of  the  slave.  The  good  man. 

wards  us.  We  were  atVciid  of  her,  and  so  we 
hoisted  up  every  sail  we  could,  in  order  to  get 
away.  But  she  gained  upon  us,  and  we  could  not 
escape.  So  she  sailed  up  to  us,  a  great  ship,  full 
of  men,  and  guns,  and  swords.  They  took  us  all, 
and  carried  us  to  their  country,  and  put  irons  on 
our  hands  and  on  our  feet,  and  stripped  off  our 
clothes,  and  sold  us  in  the  market  for  slaves,  just 
as  they  would  cattle.  I  was  bought  by  a  cruel, 
wicked  man,  who  almost  starved  me,  and  who 
used  to  whip  me  every  day  till  the  blood  ran 
down  my  back.  So  1  lived  for  years.  The  news 
at  length  reached  my  native  place.  And  then 
the  richest  and  the  best  man  in  the  whole  coun- 
try, and  one  v\'hom  1  had  always  treated  unkind- 
ly, heard  of  my  coiidition.  He  UAi  for  me.  At 
once  he  sold  his  house,  his  lands,  and  every  thing 
he  had,  and  took  all  he  had  in  ilie  world,  and 
went  hito  that  distant  country,  to  buy  me  out  of 
slavery      \\4ien   he   got  there,  he   told  what  he 


Lect.  7.J  CHRIST  TASTING    DEATH.  137 


The  slave  bouo^lil.  Ii.srratitinle. 


wanted.  My  master  would  not  sell  me.  The 
good  man  offered  all  his  money,  and  to  become 
poor  himself.  No, — my  master  would  not  take 
it.  At  last,  the  good  man  offered  to  become  a 
slave  himself,  if  I  might  be  set  at  liberty.  The 
offer  was  accepted.  I  had  the  irons  taken  off 
from  my  hands,  and  put  on  his  :  and  the  stripes 
which  I  had  received,  were  laid  upon  him.  I  saw 
him  a  poor  slave,  and  knew  that  he  had  left  home 
and  friends,  and  had  become  a  slave,  to  buy  my 
freedom !  I  came  home  to  my  friends,  w  here  1 
have  a  home  and  so  many  blessings.  And  now  1 
forget  that  friend  who  became  a  slave  in  my 
place.  I  never  speak  of  him ;  1  never  ^^'rite  to 
him,  never  thank  him ;  never  have  tried  to  love 
him  or  his  friends!  Is  not  this  ungrateful  ?  Is 
't  not  wrong,  and  sinful  ?  And  have  I  not  got  a 
very  wicked  heart  ?  " 

Now,  just  see  how  this  applies    to  us.     We 
were  all  taken  and  mad^i  slaves  by  sin.     We  were 


138  CHRIST  TASTING  DEATH.  [Lect.  7 

All  men  slaves.  John  Howard. 

all  in  bondage,  and  all  ruined.  Jesus  Christ  was 
in  heaven,  with  the  Father.  His  eye  pitied  us. 
He  was  rich,  and  had  all  in  heaven  Lr  his  own ; 
but  he  became  a  poor  man.  For  our  sakes,  he 
became  poor.  He  came,  like  an  angel,  on  the 
wings  of  love,  down  to  this  world,  where  we 
poor  slaves  live.  He  would  buy  us.  And  he 
bought  us  by  becoming  a  curse  for  us  I'-i^ bought  us, 
"  not  with  corruptible  things,  as  with  silver  and 
gold,"  but  by  his  own  precious  blood.  "  The 
Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all,  and 
by  his  stripes  we  are  healed."  Ought  we  not  to 
love  Jesus  Christ,  and  that,  too,  with  all  the 
heart  ? 

Christ  died  for  us  while  we  were  enemies. 
The  great  and  the  good  John  Howard  went  all 
over  Europe  to  visit  the  prisons  and  to  do  good 
to  the  poor  prisoners.  When  he  entered  a  pris- 
on, the  prisoners  would  frequently  go  the  whole 
length  of  their  chain,  to  fall  at  his  feet  and  bless 


L«CT.  7.]  CHRIST  TASTING  DEATH.  l39 


Four  ihiiisrs  to  be  done. 


him.  But  they  were  not  his  enemies,  nor  did  he 
die  for  them.  But  Christ  died  for  us,  while  we 
were  enemies.  What  a  love  is  this  !  What  a 
Saviour  is  he  !  "  What  think  ye  of  Christ,"  my 
dear  children  ?  Should  you  not  at  once  begin  to 
do,  and  continue  to  do,  these  four  things? 

1 .  Think  about  Jesus  Christ  every  day,  in  your 
own  heart. 

2.  Read  about  Christ  in  the  Bible,  and  try  to 
know  as  much  about  him  as  you  possibly  can. 

3.  Think  how  little  you  have  thought  of  him, 
01  cared  for  him,  and  be  humbled  and  truly 
sorry. 

4.  Give  him  your  love,  your  h^art,  your  life, 
your  all.     Amen. 

9 


140 


LECTURE    VIII. 

CHRIST   INTERCEDING    FOR   US. 
He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession. — Heb.  7.  25. 

Contents. — The  name  of  Washington.  We  all  want  a  friend.  The  poji 
Indian  and  his  child.  Christ  is  such  a  friend  as  we  need.  Children'j 
troubles.  The  three  friends.  The  real  friend.  Story  applied,  Christ  is 
the  real  friend.  When  most  needed.  The  just  khig  and  his  laws.  Christ's 
manner  of  interceding.  High  treason.  The  wife  and  ten  children.  The 
pardon.  How  is  Christ's  intercession  different  ?  The  child  in  prison.  The 
two  brothers.  Four  things  in  Christ.  He  is  worthy.  He  knows  our  wants. 
Kver  lives.     Never  changes.     The  waters  quench  not  his  love. 

Almost  every  prayer  ^^  hich  we  hear,  is  made 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  :  and  every  thing 
we  ask  God  for,  is  asked  "  ^or  Christ's  sake."  A 
poor,  sick  soldier  might  go  to  the  door  of  con- 
gress, and  ask  to  go  in,  and  ask  for  help  for  him- 
self and  his  family,  and  he  could  not  get  any. 
But  if  he  had  in  his  pocket  a  paper,  saying  thai 
he  might  go  and  ask  help  in  the  name  of  Wash- 
ington, and  if  congress  knew  that  the  paper  was 
<^ritten  by  Washington,  they  would  hear  his  re 


Lect.  8.]  CHRIST  INTERCEDING.  l41 


We  all  want  a  friend. 


quest,  and  aid  hiin,  for  Washington's  sake.  This 
would  be  asking  in  another's  name,  just  as  we 
ask  God  in  Christ's  name  ;  and  it  would  be  an- 
swering for  another's  sake,  just  as  God  answers 
us  "  for  Christ's  sake." 

Nobody  can  feel  happy  w^ithout  a  friend.  And 
almost  every  one  tries  to  get  and  keep  a  few 
friends,  however  wicked  he  may  be.  Let  any 
one  have  no  friend  to  feel  for  him,  to  share  his 
joys  and  his  sorrows,  and  he  will  feel  unhappy. 
^You  have  seen  how  children  will  love  a  little  dog, 
or  a  lamb,  or  a  dove,  or  any  thing  that  can  love 
them.  The  little  boy  will  talk  to  his  top,  and  the 
little  girl  will  talk  to  her  doll,  because  they  want  a 
friend ;  and  if  the  top  and  the  doll  could  talk, 
and  love  them,  they  would  be  still  more  glad. 
Why  ?  Because  we  all  want  friends,  to  whom  we 
can  talk,  and  who  will  feel  for  us.  Let  me  show 
you  just  what  I  mean. 

Some  years  ago,  there  was  an  Indian  in  the 


142  CHRIST  INTERCEDING.  [Lkct.  8 

The  poor  Iiulian  aiid  his  child. 

State  of  Maine,  who,  for  his  very  good  conduct, 
had  a  large  farm  given  him  by  the  state.  He 
built  his  little  house  on  his  land,  and  there  lived. 
Around  him  were  quite  a  number  of  white  fami- 
lies. They  did  not  treat  him  badly,  but,  because 
he  was  an  Indian,  they  did  not  act  and  feel  as  if 
they  loved  him,  and  as  if  they  were  his  friends. 
His  only  child  was  taken  sick,  and  died,  and  not 
one  of  the  white  people  went  near  him  to  comfort 
him,  or  to  aid  him  to  bury  his  little  child.  A  few 
days  after,  he  came  to  the  white  people,  and  said 
to  them, 

"  WJien  white  man's  child  die,  Indian  ma7X 
he  sorry, — he  help  bury  him,  IVIien  my  child  die, 
no  one  speak  to  me — /  7nake  his  grave  alone, — 
/  canH  no  live  here, — and  have  no  friend  to  love 


me  J 


r" 


The  poor  Indian  gave  up  his  farm,  dug  up  the 
body  of  his  child,  and  carried  it  with  him  two 
hundred   miles  through  the  forest,   to  join   the 


Lect.  8.]  CHRIST    INTERCEDING.  1 43 

Christ  is  such  a  friend  as  we  need.  Children's  troubles. 

Canada  Indians !  What  love  for  his  child !  What 
a  deep  feeling  in  his  heart,  that  he  wanted  a 
friend ! 

So  we  all  want  some  one  to  whom  we  may 
look  every  day.  But  when  we  are  sick,  when  in 
distress,  when  we  are  about  to  die,  oh,  then,  we 
want  a  friend  who  will  stand  near  us,  and  who 
can  help  us.  Now,  Jesus  Christ  is  just  that 
friend.  He  was  once  a  man  of  sorrows,  and 
was  acquainted  with  grief,  and  knows  how  to 
help  those  who  are  in  sorrow.  He  was  once  in 
the  agonies  of  death,  and  knows  all  how  the 
dying  feel.  Is  any  one  poor  ?  So  was  he,  and 
knows  all  about  being  poor.  Are  you  a  poor 
weak  child  ?  So  was  he,  and  knows  just  how 
the  child  feels,  and  just  what  a  friend  he  needs. 
You  have  little  trials  and  troubles,  which  older 
people  would  not  think  of,  but  which  sometimes 
make  your  heart  feel  heavy  and  sad.  Well, 
Jesus  Christ  knows  all  about  such  feelings,  and 


144  CHRIST  INTERCEDING.  [Lect.  8 

The  three  friends. 

can  help  jou,  and  will  do  it  every  day,  if  you  ask 
him  every  day  to  do  so. 

But  though  w^e  want  a  friend  all  our  lives, 
there  is  one  hour  when  we  very  much  need 
such  a  friend.  That  is  the  hour  of  dying.  Let 
me  show  you  why. 

There  was  once  a  man  who  had  three  friends. 
He  knew  them,  and  lived  near  them  for  years. 
It  so  happened,  that  this  man  was  accused  to  the 
king  of  the  country  as  a  bad  man,  and  the  king 
ordered  that  he  should  be  put  to  death.  The 
poor  man  heard  of  it,  and  was  in  great  trouble. 
He  expected  to  lose  his  life,  and  to  leave  his 
family  of  children  in  great  distress.  After  think- 
ing it  over,  and  weeping  over  it,  he  determined 
to  go  to  the  king,  and  fall  down  before  him,  and 
get  somebody  to  go  with  him,  and  beg  his  life. 
So  he  called  on  these  three  friends,  and  begged 
them  to  go  with  him.  The  first  whom  he  asked, 
he  loved  best,  and  thought  him  his  best  friend. 


Lect.  8.J  CHRIST  INTERCEDING.  I  15 

The  real  friend.  Slory  applied. 

But  no ; — he  would  not  go  with  him  one  step 
towards  the  king's  court.  He  would  not  move 
to  help  him.  He  next  went  to  the  second 
friend,  and  whom  he  loved  next  best,  and  asked 
him  to  go.  So  thej  set  out  to  go ;  but  when 
thej  came  to  the  gates  of  the  king's  court,  this 
friend  stopped,  and  would  not  go  in  with  him,  and 
ask  for  his  life.  Then  he  went  to  the  third 
friend,  and  the  one  whom  he  loved  the  least,  and 
asked  him  to  help  him.  This  friend  was  known 
to  the  king,  and  beloved  hy  him.  So  he  took 
him  by  the  hand,  and  led  him  in  ^o  the  king,  and 
interceded,  or  begged  for  him,  and  the  king  par- 
doned the  condemned  man,  for  the  sake  of  his 
friend  who  interceded  for  him  ! 

Now,  see  how  this  story  applies  here.  People 
have  three  thing:s,  w^hich  they  think  of-  and  which 
they  call  their  friends.  These  three  things  are, 
1.  The  world  ;  that  is,  property,  and  houses, 
and  all   the  fine    things    which    they    have.     2; 


]46  CHRIST  INTERCEDING  [I.f.ct.  e 


Christ  the  real  friend.  When  most  needed. 

Their  friends.  3.  Jesus  Clirisl.  Tlie  first  of 
these  friends  is  loved  the  most.  Our  friends  are 
ioved  next  best;  and  Jesus  Christ  least  of  all. 
So,  when  we  are  taken  sick,  and  must  die,  and  go 
in  before  the  great  King,  we  call  upon  these  to 
help  us.  The  world,  and  the  things  of  the  world, 
however,  cannot  go  with  us  one  step.  They 
must  all  be  useless  the  moment  we  lie  on  the 
bed  of  death.  The  next,  which  is,  our  friends, 
can  go  with  us  through  the  sickness,  and  as  far 
as  to  the  king's  gates,  the  gates  of  death,  and 
they  there  stop  and  leave  us.  But  Jesus  Christ, 
that  friend,  of  whom  we  think  so  little,  and  whom 
»ve  love  so  little,  he  can  go  in  with  us  before  the 
^reat  King  of  kings,  and  plead  for  us, — intercede 
for  us,  and  thus  save  our  souls  fiom  being  con- 
demned to  eternal  death.  This,  oh,  this  is  the 
time  when  we  need  him  for  our  friend,  and  need 
him  for  our  intercessor.  He  died  for  us,  and  can, 
herefore,  be  our  friend,  and  plead  for  us,  and 
save  us. 


Leci    8]  CHRIST  INTERCF^.DING.  !47 


Th.^  just  cing  and  his  laws.  Christ's  manner  of  interceding'. 


I  trust  jou  hcive  not  forgotten  the  last  Lec- 
ture, in  which  I  tried  to  show  you  how  that 
God  can  save  our  souls,  because  Christ  suffered 
for  us.  I  am  now  showing  jou  that  Christ  does 
something  more ;  he  intercedes  for  us.  A  king 
once  made  a  law  against  a  certain  crime  ;  and 
the  law  was,  that  every  one  who  did  that  wicked 
ihing  should  have  both  his  eyes  put  out.  Very 
soon,  a  man  was  found  who  had  broken  the  law. 
He  was  tried  and  found  guilty.  It  was  the 
king's  own  son.  Now,  the  king  saw  that,  if  he 
did  not  punish  his  son,  nobody  ought  to  be  pun- 
ished, and  nobody  would  keep  the  law.  ^  So  he 
had  one  eye  of  his  son  put  out,  and  one  of  his 
own  eyes  put  out!  He  could  now  go  before  the 
court  and  plead  for  his  son,  and,  by  his  own  suf- 
ferings and  intercession,  could  save  his  son  from 
further  punishment.  All  the  people  saw  that 
the  good  king  hated  the  crime  and  loved  his  laws. 
Just  so  does  Jesus  Christ  save  us.  He  has 
suflfered  for  us,  and  now  lives  to  intercede  for  us 


148  CHRIST   INTERCEDING.  TLeot.  £ 

High  treason. 

How  very  different  are  Christ's  prayers  for 
us  from  any  thing  which  we  can  do  for  one 
another!  He  can  always  aid  us.  We  cannot  al- 
ways  do  it.  Let  me  try  to  show  you  the  differ- 
ence. 

Many  years  ago,  there  were  some  men,  in  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania,  who  would  not  obey  the 
laws  of  their  country,  but  tried  to  destroy  the  laws, 
and  have  their  own  wills.  When  men  go  so  far 
as  to  unite,  and  say  they  will  not  obey  the  laws, 
this  crime  is  called  "  high  treason."  Among  these 
men  who  did  so,  was  one  by  the  name  of  John 
Fries.  He  was  carefully  tried  by  the  court,  and 
found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  be  hung.  The 
death-warrant  was  signed  by  the  president  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  day  was  fixed  on  which  he 
should  die.  But  just  before  the  day  came,  some 
people  went  to  the  president,  and  asked  him  to 
permit  a  woman  to  see  him,  who  had  something  to 
say  to  him.    The  president  said  he  would  see  her. 


Lect.  8]  CHRIST  INTERCEDING.  149 

The  wife  and  ten  children.  Tlie  j)ardon. 

A  few  kind  friends  went  with  her  to  the  house  oi 
the  president.  The  president  stood  up  to  receive 
her.  But  what  was  his  surprise  to  see  this  woman 
with  ten  children  all  kneeling  before  him  in  tears ! 
They  were  the  wife  and  the  ten  children  of  John 
Fries,  kneeling  and  weeping,  and  interceding  for 
the  life  of  their  father,  who  was  condemned  to 
die !  The  president  stood  in  amazement ;  and 
then  the  big  tears  came  gushing  down  his  cheeks, 
and  his  voice  was  so  choked,  that  he  could  not 
speak.  With  his  eyes  streaming  with  tears,  and 
his  hands  raised  towards  heaven,  he  pushed  away 
out  of  the  room.  Oh,  what  a  moment  of  anxiety ! 
Would  he  hear  the  petition,  or  would  he  let  the 
man  die  ?  In  a  few  moments  he  returned  with  a 
paper  in  his  hand.  It  contained  a  full  and  free 
pardon  for  her  husband,  and  their  father.  He 
gave  it  to  Mrs.  Fries,  and  she  went  away,  and  re- 
turned joyful  to  her  home,  having  her  husband 
with  her. 


IJO  CHRIST   INTERCEDING.  [Lect.  8 

How  is  Christ's  intercession  different?  The  child  in  prison. 

This  was  interceding  before  a  human  being. 
Christ  intercedes  before  God.  This  was  inter- 
ceding for  one  man.  Christ  does  it  for  all  his  peo- 
ple. This  was  for  one  short  life.  Christ  asks  for 
us  eternal  life.  This  was  for  one  sin.  Christ  in- 
tercedes for  all  our  sins.  This  was  for  a  friend. 
Christ  does  it  for  those  who  have  ever  been  ene- 
mies. This  saved  from  the  curse  pronounced  by 
human  laws.  Christ  saves  us  from  the  curse  of 
God's  law.  This  was  a  little  stream  ;  but  Christ 
carries  us  over  the  dark  river  of  death. 

Suppose  one  of  these  children  were  condemn- 
ed to  die,  and  were  shut  up  in  prison,  and  were 
going  to  send  a  petition  to  the  governor  for  your 
life.  Whom  would  you  wish  to  carry  it?  The 
most  worthy  man  in  the  whole  town,  certainly. 
'Christ  is  the  most  worthy  being  in  the  unnerse, 
and  therefore  he  is  a  good  intercessor.  If  you 
were  to  petition  for  your  life,  whom  would  you 
wish  to  carry  your  petition  ;  a  stranger,  or  some 


Lect.  8.]  CHRIST  LNTERCEDING.  15) 


Tlie  iwo  brothers.  Four  tilings  in  Clnsi. 


warm,  intimate  friend  of  the  governor  ?  The  friend, 
surely.  You  would  say,  the  governor  will  be  more 
likely  to  hear  his  friend  than  a  stranger.  Yes.  And 
God  is  ever  well-pleased  with  his  dear  Son,  and  is 
williii":  to  hear  him  when  he  intercedes  for  us. 

History  informs  us  of  a  man  who  was  doomed 
to  die  for  some  crime  which  he  had  committed. 
His  brother  had  lost  an  arm  in  defending  his  coun- 
try. He  came  forward  and  held  up  the  stump  of 
his  lost  arm,  and  interceded  for  his  brother.  The 
judges  were  so  affected  by  the  remembrance  of 
his  past  services,  that  they  freely  pardoned  the 
guilty  brother  for  his  sake.  Thus  is  Christ  de- 
scribed to  us  as  sitting  on  the  throne,  with  his 
wounds  yet  bleeding  (Rev.  5.  6,)  and  hiterceding 
for  us. 

There  are  four  things  about  Jesus  Christ  which 
make  him  just  such  an  intercessor  as  we  need.  I 
will  tell  you  what  they  are. 

1.  He  IS  worthy. 

You  know,  dear  rhildrrn,  that  it   Is  a  great 


152  CHRIST  INTERCEDING.  [Lect.  fc 


He  is  worthy. 


comfort  to  have  good  men  praj  for  us.  You  know, 
too,  that  the  prayers  of  good  men  avail  much  with 
God.  In  the  Bible  you  will  find  the  stories,  wheie 
one  man  prayed,  and  the  dead  child  of  a  heathen 
woman  was  raised  to  life ;  where  another  prayed, 
and  an  angel  came  down  and  shut  the  mouths  of 
lions,  so  that  they  did  not  hurt  tlie  good  maiic 
Peter  prayed,  and  a  dead  woman  came  to  life. 
Paul  prayed,  and  a  young  man,  \a  ho  had  fallen 
from  the  third  story  of  the  house,  and  v^as  killed, 
was  brought  to  life.  Abraham  prayed  for  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah,  and  the  cities  would  have  been 
spared,  if  there  had  been  ten  righteous  men  in  five 
cities.  But  good  men  might  pray  for  you ;  all  the 
good  men  on  earth  might,  and  if  Christ  should  not 
also,  it  would  not  do  you  any  good.  No.  And  all 
the  good  spirits  in  heaven,  saints  and  angels,  even 
up  to  Gabriel,  might  pray  for  you,  and  all  would 
not  be  so  good  as  one  prayer  of  Christ.  He  is 
worthy.  The  saints  and  the  angels  cast  their 
crowns  at  his  feet,  and  cry,  "Thou  art  worthy.''^ 


Lect.  8.J  CHRIST  INTERCEDING.  153 


He  knows  our  waaits. 


He  i.j  worshipped  by  all  in  heaven.  He  sits  on 
the  throne  with  God,  and  God  loves  him,  and  w\\\ 
hear  him  in  our  behalf. 

2.  Christ  hwws  your  wants. 

I  sometimes  pray  with  these  children,  and  foi 
them.  I  shall  do  so  again  when  this  Lecture  is 
done.  But  it  is  some  years  since  I  was  a  child ; 
and  I  forget  how  a  child  teels,  and  v\hat  his 
wants  are.  So  does  every  man.  Were  David 
to  pray  for  you,  he  would  forget  how  he  used  to 
feel  when  a  child.  So  would  Abraham,  so  would 
all  heaven.  Not  so  with  Jesus  Christ.  He  never 
forgets  how  he  felt  when  he  was  a  child.  He 
can  look  at  once  down  on  the  heart,  and 
knows  every  feeling,  every  fear,  every  sorrow, 
every  want.  You  can  conceal  nothing  from  his 
eye.  And  when  he  intercedes  for  you,  he  know  s 
exactly  what  you  need.  He  knows  better  than 
your  mother,  and  even  better  than  you  know 
yourself. 


4  CHRIST  INTERCEDING.  [Lect.  b 

Ever  lives  Never  chang^es. 

3.  Christ  will  ever  live  to  intercede  for  you. 
Good  parents  may  pray  for  you  often.    So  may 

good  ministers.  But  they  cannot  do  it  longo 
They  must  soon  die,  and  leave  you.  They  will 
soon  all  be  gone.  But  Christ  is  alive  to-day ;  he 
w^ill  be  alive  to-morrow ;  he  will  be  alive  when 
you  come  to  die,  and  your  soul  goes  into  the  eter- 
nal world.  And  when  the  graves  are  opened, 
when  the  sun  goes  down  to  rise  no  more,  and  the 
moon  and  the  stars  all  fade  away,  he  will  still  live, 
and  live  to  intercede  for  his  disciples.  Dbath  will 
take  us  all  away,  but  h    dies  no  more. 

4.  Christ  never  changes. 

Almost  every  thing  changes.  The  weather 
changes,  the  trees  change,  the  flowers  change, 
and  all  things  which  we  see.  Friends  also  chano:^ 
Some  go  away  from  us.  Some  are  good  friends 
when  we  are  well,  but  leave  us  when  we  are  in 
trouble.  The  severe  lines  of  the  poet  are  often 
true  :-^ 


Lect.  8.1  CnrxLST  INTERCEDING.  155 


The  waters  quench  not  his  love. 


*'  The  friends,  who  in  our  sunshine  live, 
When  winter  conies,  are  flown  ; 
And  he  who  hast  but  tears  to  give, 
Must  weep  those  tears  alone." 

Yes,  we  maj  all  change  ;  we  may  be  disap 
pointed,  may  be  in  sorrow,  may  be  in  sickness, 
be  in  the  agonies  of  death ;  but  Christ  never 
changes,  never  leaves  us,  never  forgets  us.  We 
may  sink  into  the  cold,  swelling  river,  and  be 
drowning,  and  our  friends  stand  on  the  banks, 
not  daring  to  go  in  after  us  ;  but  his  love  cannot 
be  quenched  by  the  cold  waters  of  "  many  floods." 
We  shall  die,  and  sleep  in  the  grave.  We  shall 
iwake  again  at  the  resurrection  day.  But  in 
all  this  Christ  does  not  change.  "  The  same 
yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever,"  he  ever  liveth  to 
intercede  for  us.  O  what  a  Redeemer!  "  Bless- 
ed, O  Lord,  is  the  man  who  trusteth  in  thee." 
Amen. 

10 


156 


LECTURE     1  X  . 

GIVING  ACCOUNT  TO  GOU. 

Evcri,  one  of  us  shall  give  account  of  himself  to  God."^ 
Romans  14.  12. 

Contents. — Plain  text.  The  stranger.  His  account  of  himself.  IIow  dif- 
ferent from  the  account  to  God.  The  merchant.  Account  of  one  of  these 
boys.  Fields,  horses,  and  plants,  called  to  account.  The  plant  producing 
no  flower.  How  a  father  feels.  The  house  burned.  The  soul  poisoned. 
The  father's  feeling^s  over  a  murdered  child.  Every  one  must  give  account 
How  can  children  sin  ?  How  much  does  a  child  sin  ?  The  little  rattle 
snake.  What  murder  is.  Anger.  The  Bible  destroyed.  The  bones 
broken.  The  Sabbath  lost.  The  child  killing  people.  Conscience.  The 
fruit-trees.    The  broken  bowl.     Three  directions.     The  Roman  emperor 

This  seems  to  be  one  of  the  plainest  texts  in 
the  Bible.  It  tells  jou  ivho  shall  give  an  account. ; 
'every  one  of  us."  It  tells  us  to  whom  you  shall 
^ive  an  account ;  "  to  God  ;"  and  about  whom  you 
must  give  the  account ;  "of  himself."  So  far  is 
plain.  But  perhaps  these  children  will  mistake, 
after  all.  Let  me  make  it  so  plain  that  you  can- 
not mistake  it.     Suppose,  when  you  go  home  to- 


Lect.  9.]  GIVING  ACCOUNT  TO  GOD.  157 

The  stranger.  His  account  of  liimself. 

night,  a  stranger  coines  into  your  house,  and  is 
asked  to  stay  and  spend  the  evening.  He  is 
very  pleasant,  and  talks  with  all  the  family  ;  and, 
among  others,  he  talks  with  the  children.  He 
tells  them  he  has  been  away  off  on  the  great 
waters,  in  a  ship,  to  catch  whales ;  that,  one  day, 
when  trying  to  kill  a  poor  whale,  the  wounded 
fish  turned  and  struck  the  ship  with  his  tail,  and 
broke  it  all  in  pieces ;  that  he  and  his  few^  men 
who  were  not  drowned,  got  into  a  little  boat,  and 
rowed  off,  day  and  night,  for  many  days,  till  near- 
ly all  were  dend, — starved  to  death; — that  they 
were  then  cast  upon  a  low,  desert  island,  where 
they  lived  upon  fish,  and  such  things,  for  years, 
till  a  ship  happened  to  pass  that  way  and  took 
them,  and  brought  them  home.  Thus  he  tells  you 
the  whole  account  of  his  life.  You  thank  him  foi 
it.  It  is  an  interesting  and  useful  account.  You 
love  to  hear  it.  But  this  is  not  what  is  meant  by 
giving  account  to  God.     Why  not?     Because  be 


158  GIVING  ACCOUNT  TO  GOD.  [Lect.  9 

How  different  from  the  account  to  God.  Tlie  merchant. 

is  noi  obliged  to  give  the  account  to  jou,  unless 
he  pleases  ;  but  we  must  do  it  to  God.  Because, 
also,  JOU  cannot  know  whether  or  not  it  is  the 
crue  account  of  his  life ;  but  God  will  know 
whether  we  give  a  true  account  or  not.  Because, 
too,  jou  could  not  reward  him  for  the  times  when 
he  did  well,  nor  punish  him  when  he  did  wrong ; 
but  when  we  give  account  to  God,  he  will  reward 
us,  or  punish  us,  as  we  have  done  right  or 
wrong. 

A  merchant  might  tell  us  all  about  his  bargains, 
his  ships,  his  losses,  and  gains,  and  the  curious  things 
with  which  he  has  met ;  but  though  the  account 
of  his  life  is  very  interesting,  yet  it  is  not  such  an 
account  as  we  must  give  to  God.  A  lawyer  could 
give  you  an  account  of  what  he  has  seen, — what 
prisoners  tried  for  stealing, — others  for  murder, — 
and  how  the  friends  were  present,  and  how  they 
seemed  to  be  broken-hearted  when  the  sentence 
of  death  was  pronounced  ;  but  this  is  not  such  an 
account  as  we  must  give  to  God  at  last. 


Lect.  9.]  GIVING  ACCOUNT  TO  GOD.  1 59 


Account  of  one  of  tlieso  bovs 


^  Suppose  that  one  of  those  little  hoys  in  that 
front  seat  should  now  get  up,  and  try  to  give  me 
an  account  of  his  whole  life.  Could  he  do  it  in 
such  a  way  as  he  \A'ould  have  to,  if  God  should 
call  him  to  do  it  ?  No.  Because  he  would  not 
be  likely  to  remember  but  a  small  part  of  it;  and 
I  could  not  know  the  rest,  as  God  can.  He 
would  not  feel  willing  to  put  into  the  account  all 
the  foolish  and  wicked  words  he  has  ever  said  ; 
the  wicked  thoughts  and  feelings  he  has  ever 
had ;  nor  the  wrong  things  he  has  ever  done. 
And  I  could  not  tell  them.  Besides,  I  could  not 
know  how  to  punish  or  reward  him  as  he  de- 
serves; but  God  knows  just  how  to  do  it.  I 
should  have  no  right  to  do  it,  if  I  could  ;  but  God 
would  have  the  right.  So  you  see,  that  it  is  a 
very  different  thing  to  give  an  account  to  God 
from  what  it  would  be  to  give  it  to  a  man. 

We  call  almost  every  thing  to  account  in  some 
way  or  other.     Just  see.      Did  you  never  see  a 


160  GIVING  ACCOUNT  TO  GOD.  [Lect.  S 

Fields,  horses,  and  plants,  called  to  account. 

farmer  go  out  and  look  carefully  at  the  waving 
wheat  in  the  field,  and,  taking  some  of  the  wheat- 
heads  in  his  hand,  rub  them  to  get  the  wheat  out  ? 
Why  was  he  doing  it  ?  To  see  if  it  had  much 
wheat  in  it,  and  to  see  if  it  were  good,  full  wheat. 
This  was  a  kind  of  trial,  or  account,  to  which  he 
was  calling  his  wheat.  When  a  man  buys  a  new 
watch  or  clock,  you  will  see  him  examining  it 
every  day,  and  looking  carefully  to  see  if  it  goes, 
and  goes  right.  Yes,  he  calls  it  to  account ;  and 
if  it  goes  wrong,  or  stops,  he  sends  it  back,  and 
will  not  keep  it.  And  he  would  blame  it  severe- 
ly, if  it  could  understand  him,  and  knew  better. 
Let  a  man  own  a  horse,  and  keep  him,  and  take 
good  care  of  him,  and  he  will  blame  the  horse, 
and  whip  him,  if  he  is  not  kind,  and  does  not 
obey  him.  The  very  horse  is  called  to  an  ac- 
count for  his  conduct.  Yes,  if  one  of  these  little 
girls  had  a  plant,  which  she  had  kept,  and  watered, 
and  taken  care  of  for  years,  and  if  it  never  pro- 


PJ^'^'-y. 


L«CT.  9-1  GIVING   ACCOUNT    TO   GOD.  163 

The  plant  producing  no  flowers.  How  a  lUllier  feels. 

duced  one  single  blossom,  she  would  feel  discour- 
aged, and  call  it  to  an  account,  and  give  it  up, 
and  let  it  perish.  She  would  call  the  frail  plant 
to  a  kind  of  account,  and  treat  it  according  to  its 
character.  She  might  grieve  over  her  plant,  and 
even  shed  tears  to  have  it  turn  out  so  poorly  ;  but 
she  would  not  keep  taking  care  of  it,  if  it  were  a 
useless  plbiit,  and  never  blossomed. 

Some  seem  to  think  that  God  does  not  care 
how  we  live  in  this  world.  But  let  us  see.  In 
the  Bible,  he  is  called  our  Father.  Docs  a  father 
love  to  see  a  child  do  wrong  ?  Supix)se  the  father 
of  one  of  you  should  go  away  on  a  journey,  and 
should  hear,  while  gone,  that  a  wicked  man  had 
set  his  barn  on  fire,  and  burned  up  all  his  hay 
and  his  cattle.  Would  he  not  feel  as  if  the  wicked 
man  ought  to  be  called  to  an  account  ?  Su])j)ose, 
the  next  day,  he  should  hear  that  the  same  wicked 
man  had  set  his  house  on  fire,  and  had  burned  ii 
to  ashes,  and,  in  doing  this,  had  burned  up  one 


164  GIVING    ACCOUNT   TO    GOD.  [Lect.  «. 

The  house  burned.  The  soul  poisoned. 

of  his  dear  children.  Would  he  not  feel  grieved  ? 
Would  he  not  think  the  wicked  man  ought  to  be 
called  to  account,  and  punished  ?  Yes,  he  would. 
Well,  do  jou  not  suppose  our  Father  in  heaven 
feels  just  so  towards  those  who  sin,  and  do 
wrong  ?  Suppose  I  should  give  one  of  these  dear 
children  poison,  and  should  tell  him  it  was  food, 
and  he  should  believe  me,  and  it  should  kill  him. 
Ought  I  not  to  be  called  to  account,  and  punished  ? 
Certainly  1  had.  But  su])pose  I  should,  by  any 
means,  poison  the  mind,  and  tell  you  what  is  not 
true,  and  make  you  lose  the  soul  forever.  Ought 
I  not  to  be  called  to  account?  Yes,  I  ought  to 
be.  But  nobody  can  do  it  but  God,  and  he  will 
do  it. 

Now,  suppose,  as  you  go  home,  and  as  you  get 
away  at  some  distance,  you  see  an  old  man,  w  ith 
gray  hair,  bending  over  and  leaning  on  his  staff. 
He  is  looking  down  towards  the  ground.  As 
you  get  near  him,  you  see  blood  on  the  ground 


Lect.  9.]  GIVING    ACCOUNT    TO    GOD.  165 

Tlie  father's  feelings  over  a  murdered  child.  ; 


and  you  see  a  little  girl  lying  and  bleeding  in  the 
path  just  before  the  old  man.  She  is  pale  ;  her 
eyes  are  closed  ;  and  the  blood  runs  out  of  her 
mouth  and  ears ;  and  she  is  dead.  She  moves 
no  more  than  the  stones.  She  has  been  murder- 
ed. But  who  is  that  old  man  bending  over  her? 
Oh !  he  is  her  father, — and  she  is  his  youngest 
child.  She  was  walking  with  him,  and  cling- 
ing to  his  arm,  when  a  wicked  man  came  up, 
and  struck  her  with  a  club,  and,  in  spite  of  the 
cries  and  entreaties  of  her  father,  kept  striking, 
till  she  was  dead !  What  think  you  ?  Does  not  that 
old  man's  heart  ache  ?  Does  not  that  good  father 
wish  to  have  the  murderer  called  to  an  account 
and  punished  ?  Yes,  he  does.  He  cannot  but 
wish  so.  And  so  does  our  Father  in  heaven  feel 
when  he  sees  sin.  It  may  be  only  anger  in  the 
heart ;  but  he  sees  it  so  clearly  that  it  is  murder 
in  his  si^ht.  And  so  he  will  call  us  to  an  account 
God  can  no  more  look  upon  sin  without  disliking 


166  GIVING  ACCOUNT  TO   GOD.  [Lect.  9 

Every  one  must  give  account.  How  can  children  sin  ? 

it,  than  a  father  can  see  his  children  murdered, 
without  wishing  the  man  who  does  it  to  be  call- 
ed to  an  account 

Every  child  knows  that  every  man  must  give 
account  of  his  conduct  to  somebody.  The  child 
must  give  account  to  his  parents  and  to  his  teach- 
ers. The  teacher  must  give  a  kind  of  account 
to  the  parents.  The  parents  must  give  account 
to  conscience,  to  society  around,  and  to  God. 
But  has  the  child  much  of  an  account  to  give  to 
God  ?    Let  us  see. 

Take  one  of  these  children  who  is  eight  years 
old.  That  child  has  had  fifty-two  Sabbaths 
every  year,  for  eight  years  :  this  is  over  four 
hundred  Sabbaths.  Has  he  kept  all  these 
Sabbaths  holy  ?  Has  no  one  of  them  been  lost, 
and  wasted  ?  All  these  have  been  seasons  of 
mercy,  in  which  he  might  learn  about  God,  and 
Christ,  and  heaven.  But  there  are  three  hundred 
and  sixty-five  days  in  every  year;  and   so  thai 


«.«CT.  9.]  GIVING   ACCOUNT  TO  GOD.  167 


How  much  does  a  child  sin  ? 


child  has  lived  almost  three  thousand  days.  In 
each  day,  how  many  times  has  he  thought  of 
God  ?  In  each  day,  he  could  disobey  his  parents 
more  than  once  ;  speak  cross  and  wicked  words 
more  than  once ;  neglect  to  pray  to  God  more 
than  once,  and  have  many  wicked  thoughts  and 
feelings  in  his  heart.  Oh,  how  many  days  has 
that  child  lived  and  hardly  thought  of  God  !  And 
yet,  every  day,  God  has  awaked  him  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  fed  him  with  food,  and  clothed  him,  and 
kept  him  alive.  When  he  has  been  sick,  God 
came  to  the  bed-side  and  cured  him.  When  he 
was  in  danger  of  dying,  God  has  made  him  well  ; 
and  all  these  many  days,  God  has  been  doing 
good  to  him.  Say,  has  not  that  child  a  great 
account  to  give  to  God? 

Some  people  seem  to  feel  that  a  child  does  not 
commit  sin  ;  or,  if  he  does,  his  sins  are  few,  and 
very  small.  But  I  hope  you  will  not  feel  so,  till 
you  have  thought  much  upon  it.  I  will  examine 
it  for  a  few  moments. 


168  GIVING  ACCOUNT  TO  GOD.  [Lect.  . 

The  little  rattlesnake.  Wliat  murder  is.  Anger. 

All  know  that  it  is  wrong  to  be  angry.  God 
declares  that  anger  in  the  heart  is  murder.  It 
may  not  seem  to  be  murder  to  you.  Now,  does 
the  little  beautiful  snake,  not  longer  than  your 
finger,  seem  to  be  a  very  bad  creature?  But 
keep  him,  and  feed  him,  and  let  him  grow ;  and 
you  will  soon  see  him  turning  red  on  the  back, 
and  hear  him  hiss  with  his  tongue ;  and  he  is  soon 
the  deadly  rattlesnake,  who,  with  a  single  bite, 
can  kill  any  body.  Just  so  with  anger.  If  it  dies 
away  in  the  heart,  nobody  but  God  knows  it.  If 
it  swells  still  larger,  it  breaks  out  in  cross  looks, 
and  cross  words,  and  perhaps  makes  the  hand 
strike.  If  it  swells  still  larger,  it  may  raise  the 
arm,  and  stab,  and  kill.  The  arm  does  not  move 
of  itself.  No,  it  is  the  wicked  feelings  within 
which  move  it  to  kill. 

Now,  suppose  a  dollar  in  money  must  be  paid 
for  every  time  these  children  have  ever  been  angry 
in  all  their  lives.  Who  would  be  able  to  pay  it  ? 
If  not  one  of  them  could  be  saved,  unless  a  dollar 


Lect.  9.1  GIVING  ACCOUNT  TO  GOD.  169 


The  Bible  destroyed.  Tne  bones  broken. 

was  paid  for  each  angry  feeling  which  he  has  ever 
had,  who  could  buy  his  salvation  ?  who  would 
engage  to  do  it  ? 

Suppose  there  were  now  only  one  Bible  in  tlie 
world,  and  that  one  is  ^his  lying  on  the  pulpit 
before  me.  From  this  one,  all  the  Bibles  which 
the  world  are  ever  to  have,  must  be  copied.  And 
suppose  God  should  now  speak  from  heaven,  and 
say,  *'This  Bible  must  lie  here  one  year  without 
being  moved;  and  every  time  one  of  these  children 
commits  a  single  sin,  one  leaf  of  the  Bible  shall 
drop  out  and  perish  forever !  "  Pray  tell  me,  if 
many,  many  leaves  would  not  be  gone  before  the 
year  is  out  ?  Tell  me,  if  what  was  left  would 
not  be  a  very  poor  Bible?  And  will  any  body 
say  that  children  do  not  sin  ? 

Suppose,  too,  that  God  should  say,  **  I  will  now 
pardon  all  the  sins  which  these  children  have  ever 
committed ;  all  shall  be  forgiven ;  but  every  child 
who  sins  after  this,  shall   have  one  of  his  bones 


170  GIVING  ACCOUNT  TO  GOD.  [Lect   . 

The  Sabbath  lost.  The  child  killing  people. 

broken  for  every  sin  which  he  ever  commits ! " 
Do  you  not  think  that  one  and  another  would  soon 
be  cripples  ?  What  child  here  would  live  a  month 
01  a  week  without  having  some  bones  broken? 
And  will  any  one  say  that  children  do  not  sin  ? 

If  God  should  say,  ''Take  the  best  child  in  this 
house,  and  let  him  hear  what  I  am  to  say ;  ever} 
time  you  break  the  Sabbath,  one  Sabbath  shall 
forever  be  taken  away  out  of  each  year ! "  how 
long  would  it  take  that  child  to  sin  away  all  our 
Sabbaths  ?     Do  not  children  sin  ? 

Once  more.  Suppose  that  one  of  these  chil- 
dren be  called  out  from  the  rest, — no  matter  which 
one  it  is, — but  one  be  called  out,  to  stand  up  in  the 
aisle  there,  and  God  should  say,  *'  For  the  first  sin, 
and  for  every  sin,  which  that  child  commits,  the 
person  who  is  nearest  to  him  shall  drop  down 
dead ; — and  so  on,  as  long  as  he  lives,  every  sin 
shall  kill  the  person  who  is  nearest  to  him !  " 
Who  would  not  fear  ?     Why,  every  one   in  this 


Lkct.  9.]  GIVING  ACCOUNT   CO  GOD.  171 


Coiisc'.eiice.  The  fruit-trees. 


house  would  flee  out  for  his  life  ;  every  one  would 
run  for  the  door,  so  as  not  to  be  the  nearest  person. 
And  before  we  all  got  out,  a  sin  would  rise  up  in 
his  heart,  and  one  would  drop  down  dead,  and  then 
:^nother,  and  perhaps  another !  Oh,  what  a  terror 
would  that  chiki  be !  The  angel  of  death,  on  his 
pale  horse,  could  not  be  more  feared.  And,  now, 
will  any  one  say  that  children  do  not  sin  ?  And 
have  they  not  a  great  account  to  give  to  God  ? 

There  is  anotlier  way  by  which  you  may  know 
whether  or  not  you  are  sinners  ;  and  that  is,  by 
asking  your  own  hearts.  Let  the  boys  of  a  family 
be  a;  play  together  on  a  mild  afternoon.  Their 
father  tells  them  they  must  be  careful  and  do  no 
mischief.  But,  when  he  comes  home  at  night,  he 
fnids  some  one  has  cut,  and  mangled,  and  killed 
several  of  his  young  fruit-trees.  One  of  his  boys 
has  done  it,  FTe  calls  them  to  an  account.  Now, 
who  is  afraid  to  be  called  to  the  account  ?  Most 
plainly,  the  boy  who  has  done  the  mischief.     The 


172  GIVING  ACCOUNT  TO  GOD.  [Lect.  9 


ITie  broken  bowl.  Tliree  Jirections. 

rest  are  not  afraid.  So  with  you.  No  child 
would  be  afraid  of  God,  were  it  not  that  the  heart 
tells  him  that  he  is  a  sinner.  A  mother  comes 
mto  the  room  where  her  little  daughters  have  been 
playing.  She  finds  the  cupboard  door  open,  and 
her  sugar-bowl  all  broken  in  pieces.  Which  of 
the  little  girls  is  now  afraid  ?  Why,  the  one  who 
has  done  the  mischief.  And  all,  who  are  afraid  of 
God,  are  afraid  because  they  are  sinners.  And 
all  are  sinners.  Oh,  that  God  would  make  us 
holy! 

Let  me  close  this  Lecture  with  three  short  di- 
rections. 

L  Every  day  be  careful  how  you  live — because 
you  must  give  account  to  God  for  every  day.  Do 
nothing  of  which  you  will  feel  ashamed  when  God 
calls  you  to  account.  Omit  no  duty  which  God 
tells  you  to  do.  You  will  be  sorry  for  every  sin 
when  you  come  to  die. 

2.   Learn  someihing  of  God  every  day.     You 


lect.9.]  giving  account  to  god.  173 


The  Roman  emperor. 


may  learn  about  God  bj  thinking  of  him,  talking 
about  him,  reading  about  him,  and  praying  to 
him.  The  more  you  know  about  God,  the  more 
you  will  fear  to  sin,  and  the  more  you  will  try  to 
please  him. 

3.  Do  something  every  day  which  will  j^lease 
God,  and  which  will  make  you  glad  in  the  great 
day  of  accounts.  Titus,  a  heathen  emperor, 
through  all  his  life  used  to  call  himself  to  ac  ount, 
every  night,  for  the  actions  of  the  day  past  ,  and 
when  one  day  had  slipped  without  his  doinc  some 
good,  he  used  to  write,  "  I  have  lost  a  iay." 
He  did  not  know  of  a  judgment-day;  bi  »:  you 
do ;  and  therefore  lose  no  day,  in  which  j  )u  do 
not  something  and  much  to  i)lease  God.  /  neu 
11 


174 


LECTURE     X. 

GREAT   R VENTS  HANG  ON  LITTLE  THINGS. 
A  certain  man  drew  a  how  at  a  venture. — 1  Kings  22.  34. 

Contents. — The  man  and  his  bow  and  arrow.  What  an  arrow  can  do 
The  subject  stated.  T.e  ship-yard.  The  wormy  stick.  The  leaky  ship 
The  result.  The  child  and  the  acorn.  The  oak.  The  result.  The  lig-ht- 
house  removed.  A  little  mistake.  Siiip  and  lives  lost.  Result.  Greal 
fires  in  the  forest.  Little  boy  playing'  with  fire.  The  spark  caught.  The 
mother  of  Mohammed.  The  consequence.  How  it  is  with  these  children, 
What  the  subject  teaches.  The  tongue.  The  child  did  not  tell  a  lie. 
Company.  Every  day.  The  little  stream.  The  last  thing^  taught  by  this 
subject. 

This  chapter  gives  an  account  of  a  war  be- 
tween two  kingdoms.  They  were  the  kingdoms 
of  Israel  and  of  Syria.  They  fought  hard,  and 
shed  much  blood.  Ahab  was  king  of  Israel, 
When  going  out  on  the  battle-field,  he  put  off 
his  kingly  dress,  and  put  on  such  clothes  as  other 
men  wear,  lest  they  should  know  him  and  should 
kill  him.  During  the  battle,  a  man  (but  what 
his  name  was,  or  what  his  history  was,  we  know 


Lect.  lO.J  LITTLE   TrilNnS.  171 

What  an  arrow  can  do. 

not) — a  mail  held  his  bow  and  arrow  in  his 
hand.  He  thought  he  w^ould  shoot  towards  the 
army  of  Israel.  He  saw  no  man  at  whom  he 
especially  desired  to  aim.  Perhaps  he  paused  a 
moment,  and  doubted  whether  he  should  shoot  or 
not.  But  the  arrow  was  in  his  hand,  and  he  put 
it  to  the  string  of  his  bow.  Now,  is  it  any 
matter  whether  he  shoots  or  not?  He  raises  the 
bow  to  shoot.  '  Is  it  any  matter  whether  he  shoots 
one  way  or  another  ?  Yes  ;  much  depends  upon 
his  shooting,  and  which  way  he  takes  aim  with 
his  arrow.  He  shoots, — the  arrow  flies, — the 
wind  does  not  turn  it  aside  out  of  the  way, — it 
goes  towards  a  chariot.  The  harness,  at  that 
moment,  just  opens  a  little  at  the  joints !  There, 
now  !  it  goes  in  at  that  little  opening.  Hark  ! 
there  is  a  groan.  It  has  hit  the  king;  it  has 
killed  the  king  !  Ahab,  the  great  king,  who  built 
great  cities,  and  built  an  ivory  horse,  and  who 
carried  on  great  wars,  is  killed,  and  the  wnr  is 


178  LITTLE  THL\(iS.  [Lkct.  10 


The  subject  statec'.  The  ship-yard.  The  wormy  slick. 

put  to  an  end,  by  that  little  arrow,  which  anj  one 
of  these  children  could  have  broken  with  the 
fino^ers  in  a  moment !  Oh,  how  much  sometimes 
hangs  on  little  things ! 

And  this  is  just  what  I  am  wishing  to  show  to 
these  children  ;  that  great  results  do  often  hang 
on  little  things. 

Two  men  were  at  work  together  one  day  in  a 
ship-yard.  They  were  hewing  a  stick  of  timber 
to  put  mto  a  ship.  It  was  a  small  stick,  and  not 
worth  much.  As  they  cut  off  the  chips,  they  found 
a  worm,  a  little  worm,  about  half  an  inch  long. 

"  This  stick  is  wormy,"  said  one ;  "  shall  we 
put  it  in  ?" 

"  I  do  not  know  ;  yes,  1  think  it  may  go  in. 
It  will  never  be  seen,  of  course." 

"  Yes,  but  there  may  be  other  worms  in  it ; 
and  these  may  increase  and  injure  the  ship." 

"No,  I  think  not.     To  be  sure,  it  is  not  worth 
much ;  yet  I  do  not  wish  to  lose  it.     But  come. 


I.ECT.  10.1  LITTLE   THING?  179 


The  leaky  shio. 


never  mind  I  lie  worm ;  we  have  seen  but  one  , — 
put  it  in." 

The  stick  was  accordingly  put  in.  The  ship 
was  finished,  and  as  she  was  hiunched  off  into  the 
waters,  all  ready  for  the  seas,  she  looked  beautiful 
as  the  swan  when  the  breeze  ruffles  his  white, 
feathered  bosom,  as  he  sits  on  the  waters.  She 
went  to  sea,  and  for  a  number  of  years  did  well. 
But  it  was  found,  on  a  distant  voyage,  that  she 
grew^  w^eak  and  rotten.  Her  timbers  were  found 
all  eaten  away  by  the  worms.  But  the  captain 
thought  he  would  try  to  get  her  home.  He  had  a 
great,  costly  load  of  goods  in  the  ship,  such  as 
silks,  crapes,  and  the  like,  and  a  great  many  peo- 
ple. On  their  way  home,  a  storm  gathered.  The 
ship  for  a  while  climbed  up  the  high  waves,  and 
then  plunged  down,  creaking,  and  rolling  finely. 
But  she  then  sprang  a-leak.  They  had  two  pumps, 
and  the  men  worked  at  them  day  and  night ;  but 
the  water  came  in  faster  than  they  could  pump  it 


ISO  Ll'tTI.E   THINGS.  [Lf.ct.  10. 


Tlie  result.  The  child  and  llie  acorn. 

out.  She  filled  with  water ;  and  she  went  down 
under  the  dark,  blue  waters  of  the  ocean,  with 
all  the  goods  and  all  the  people  on  board.  Every 
one  perished.  Oh,  how  many  wives,  and  mothers, 
and  children,  mourned  over  husbands,  and  sons,  and 
fathers,  for  whose  return  they  were  waiting,  and 
who  never  returned  I  And  all,  all  this,  probably, 
because  that  little  stick  of  timber,  with  the  worm 
in  it,  was  put  in,  when  the  ship  was  built !  How 
much  property,  and  how  many  lives,  may  be  de- 
stroyed by  a  little  \^  orm !  Aiid  how  much  evil 
may  a  man  do,  when  he  does  a  small  wrong,  as 
that  man  did  who  put  the  wormy  timber  in  the 
ship ! 

Suppose  a  little  boy  were  walking  out  in  the 
fields  on  some  fair  day  of  autumn.  As  he  bounds 
along,  he  sees  something  on  the  ground,  which 
looks  round  and  smooth,  like  a  little  egg.  Ho 
picks  it  up.  It  is  an  acorn.  He  carries  it  a  little 
while,  and  then  throws  it  away.     It  is  a  small  af- 


LECT.  10.]  LITTLE   THLNGS.  18  J 

The  oak.  The  result. 

fair,  and  useless.  He  forgets  it  entirely.  The 
poor  little  acorn  lies  forgotten.  The  ox  comes 
along,  and  treads  it  in  the  ground  without  ever 
knowing  it.  It  lies  and  sleeps  there  in  the  ox- 
track  during  the  cold  winter.  In  the  spring,  it 
swells.  The  little  sprout  peeps  out ;  a  root  grows 
down,  and  two  little  leaves  open  on  the  top  of 
the  ground.  It  lives  and  grows.  During  a  hun- 
dred years  it  grows,  while  men  live  and  die,  and 
while  many  a  storm  beats  upon  it.  It  is  now  a 
giant  oak.  It  is  made  into  a  mighty  ship,  and 
laden  with  goods ;  she  sails  round  the  world,  and 
does  her  errands  at  many  hundreds  of  places. 
She  bears  the  flag  of  her  nation  on  her  mast, 
and  her  nation  is  honored  for  her  sake.  What 
great  things  may  spring  from  small  ones !  Who 
would  have  thought  that  such  a  little  thhig  could 
contain  the  mighty  oak  in  it  ?  Besides  this,  that 
one  tree  bears  acorns  enough,  every  year,  to  raise  a 
thousand  mort  oaks ;  and  these,  every  year,  bear 


182  LITTLE  THINGS.  [Lixt.  10. 


Lie:ht-house  removed. 


enough  to  rear  ten  thousand  more.  Thus  a  whole 
forest  may  be  shut  up  in  the  little  bud  of  a  single 
acorn.  What  great  things  may  be  found  in  little 
things ! 

I  wish  to  have  you  see  this  so  clearly,  that  you 
cannot  forget  it,  because  it  will  be  of  great  use  to 
you,  all  the  way  through  life,  if  remembered. 

In  a  dark  night,  there  was  once  a  ship  coming 
into  one  of  our  harbors.  She  had  been  to  India 
on  a  long  voyage,  and  had  been  gone  a  year  or 
two.  She  had  a  very  costly  cargo,  or  load,  on 
board.  The  captain  and  all  in  her  were  hoping 
and  expecting  soon  to  see  their  friends,  and  their 
homes.  The  sailors  had  brought  out  their  best 
clothes,  and  were  clean  and  neat.  As  they  came 
bounding  along  over  the  foaming  waters,  and  drew 
near  to  the  land,  the  captain  told  a  man  to  go  up 
to  the  top  of  the  mast,  and  "  look  out  for  the  light- 
house." The  light-house  is  a  high,  round  kind  of 
a  tower,  huilt  out  on  the  points  of  the  land,  with 


LscT.  10  ]  LITTLE  THINGS.  J  S3 


A  little  mistake. 


great  lamps  lighted  every  night  in  its  top,  so  that 
vessels  may  see  it  before  they  get  too  near  the 
land.  This  light-house  stood  at  the  entrance  of 
the  harbor.  Pretty  soon,  the  man  cried  out, 
"  Light  ahead!"  Then  they  all  rejoiced,  and 
knew  they  were  near  the  harbor. 

Now,  while  they  had  been  gone,  this  light- 
house had  been  removed  to  another  place.  But 
the  captain  knew  nothing  about  that.  So  they 
kept  sailing  in  what,  they  supposed,  was  the  old 
way.  In  a  short  time,  the  man  at  the  mast-head 
cries  out,  "  Breakers  ahead  !  "  that  is,  rocks  just 
before  us,  and  the  ship  is  just  on  them.  The 
captain  just  cast  his  eye  out  on  the  dark  waters, 
and  saw  the  white  foam  of  the  rocks.  -v-In  a  mo- 
ment, he  cries  out,  "  Starboard  the  helm."  Now, 
see  how  much  may  hang  on  one  little  word. 
The  man  at  the  helm  mistook  the  word,  and 
thought  the  captain  said,  "  Larboard  the  helm." 
So  he  turned  it  the  wrong  way.     It  was  done  in 


184  LITTLE  THINGS.  [Llct.IO 


Ship  cuid  lives  lost.  Result. 

a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eje.  But  ii 
was  turned  the  wrong  way ;  and  the  ship  struck 
on  the  rocks  the  next  moment,  and  was  dashed 
in  a  thousand  pieces.  The  cargo  was  lost,  and 
every  soul  on  board,  except  one  or  two,  were 
drowned.  All  this  hung  upon  one  little  word, 
one  little  mistake.  If  that  word  had  been  under- 
stood rights  she  would  not  have  been  lost.  One 
single  mistake,  small  as  it  seemed  to  be,  brought 
about  all  this  ruin  and  death.  Do  you  not  see 
how  plain  it  is,  that  great  results  may  turn  upon 
very  small  things  ?  One  moment  of  time  turned 
the  scale,  and  property  and  lives  all  go  down  into 
the  deep.  There  the  goods  are  destroyed,  and 
there  the  human  beings  sleep  till  the  great 
morning  of  the  resurrection-day. 

In  the  new  country,  that  is,  in  those  new 
states  where  the  great  forests  are  not  cut  down, 
and  where  only  a  few  people  live,  the  fire  some- 
times, when  it  is  dry  in  the  autumn,  gets  into 


Lect.  10.]  LITTLE  THINGS.  185 


Great  fires  in  the  forest.  Little  boy  playing  wiih  fire. 

the  woods.  It  burns  the  dry  leaves,  the  dry 
limbs  and  twigs,  and  dry  trees,  and  even  the 
green  trees.  Sometimes  it  gets  so  hot,  that  no- 
body can  go  near  it.  It  leaps  from  tree  to  tree, 
burning  and  crackling,  and  rushing  on  like  a 
fierce  army  in  battle.  A  thousand  war-horses 
could  not  make  more  noise  ;  and,  in  the  night, 
it  throws  up  its  flames,  and  is  seen  a  great  way 
off.  Sometimes  it  goes  almost  a  hundred  miles 
before  it  can  be  stopped.  Now,  see  what  this 
has  to  do  with  my  Lecture. 

A  little  boy  was  playing  one  day  just  at  the 
edge  of  the  woods.  His  mother  was  gone  ;  and 
though  he  knew  it  was  wrong,  yet  he  went  into 
the  house,  and  brought  out  some  fire.  He  felt 
that  it  was  wrong,  but  thought  that  nobody 
VNould  ever  know  it.  He  played  with  the  fire 
awhih;,  and  it  did  no  hurt.  At  length,  the  v^  ind 
blew  a  spark  into  the  woods,  and  the  dry  leaves 
caught — they  blazed — the  whole  woods  were  on 


186  LliTLE  THINGS.  [Lect.  10. 

The  spark  caught. 

fire.  On  the  fire  went,  kindled  into  a  great 
flame,  raging  and  burning  all  before  it.  For 
whole  days,  and  even  weeks,  it  roared  and  raged 
without  hurting  any  body.  But  one  day,  when 
the  wind  blew  hard,  it  burned  on  faster  and 
more  awfully.  And,  as  it  swept  through  the 
forest,  it  passed  by  a  small,  new  house,  which  a 
poor  man  had  just  built,  almost  in  the  middle 
of  the  forest,  on  some  land  which  he  had  just 
bought.  I'he  man  was  gone  away.  When  at  a 
great  distance,  he  saw  the  fire,  and  hastened 
home  as  fast  as  possible.  But,  oh,  what  a  sight ! 
I'lie  woods  were  all  burned  black.  Not  a  leaf 
**as  left.  They  looked  like  a  funeral.  His  little 
house  and  barn  were  burned  up,  and,  what  was 
worse,  his  faithful  wife  and  little  child — all  were 
burned  up.  On  the  spot  where  he  left  them  hap- 
py in  the  morning,  nothing  was  left  but  a  pile  of 
smoking  ashes. 

All  this,  all  this,  because  that  little  boy  dis- 


LrcT    10]  LITTLE  THINGS.  l87 

The  mother  of  Mohammed.  Tlie  consequence. 

obeyed  his  mother,  and  played  with  lire  !  All 
this  from  one  little  spark  of  fire !  How  much, 
how  very  much,  may  hang  on  little  things! 

Let  me  give  you  one  example  more.  Almost 
twelve  hundred  years  ago,  in  a  distant  country, 
there  was  a  mother  with  an  hifant  in  her  arms. 
She  was  not  a  Christian  mother.  Now,  it  would 
seem  as  if  that  little  infant  was  of  no  conse- 
quence. Ten  thousand  such  might  die,  and  the 
world  would  hardly  know  it.  It  would  seem, 
too,  as  if  it  was  of  no  great  consequence  whether 
or  not  that  child  be  instructed  about  God  and 
Jesus  Christ,  and  be  taught  to  serve  God.  He 
was  not  so  taught.  What  was  the  result  ?  He 
grew  up,  became  a  man,  made  a  new  religion, 
which  is  called  Mohanmu^danism.  He  taught 
peoj)le  to  believe  the  most  foolish  and  wicked 
lies,  and  to  practise  the  most  wicked  things. 
He  made  them  believe  that  he  was  a  ])rophet  of 
God,   and   that  God    would    be   pleased  to  have 


188  LITTLE  THINfiS.  [Lect.  10. 


How  il  is  with  these  ciiildreii. 


them  kill  every  body  on  earth  \^'ho  will  not  be- 
lieve Mohammedanism.  They  are  a  most  bloody, 
cruel,  wicked  peo})le.  Millions  of  such  have 
lived,  and  are  now  living.  And  what  is  worse 
than  all,  God  says  that  he  will  cast  them  all 
away  into  hell  forever  and  ever.  Read  the  19th 
chapter  of  Revelation,  and  see  what  an  awful 
doom  is  before  them. 

Now,  all  this  seemed  to  turn  upon  the  point, 
whether  that  little  infant  should  be  taught  to  be 
a  Christian  or  not.  Had  he  belonged  to  a  Sab- 
bath School,  and  been  taught  as  you  are  taught, 
I  do  believe  he  would  never  have  told  such  wick- 
ed lies,  and  led  away  millions  of  men  after  him, 
who  will  perish  forever.  Wicked  man !  he 
lived  only  to  do  mischief,  and  began  a  great  evil, 
which  has  not  yet  been  checked.  How  thank- 
ful ought  you  to  be,  who  have  Christian  mothers 
to  watch  over  you,  to  pray  for  you,  and  to  teach 
)ou  from  the  Bible  !    Else  you  might  not  only 


Lect.    10  j  LITTLE  THINGS.  189 


What  the  sul>ject  teaches.  The  tongue. 

live  in  vain,  but  be  lost,  and  be  the  means  of 
leading  others  to  eternal  ruin.  How  much  good 
or  evil  may  hang  on  a  single  child  ! 

Let  me,  now,  my  dear  children,  tell  you  what 
this  subject  ought  to  teach  you.  Let  me  show 
you  what  the  great  truth,  that  great  results  may 
hang  on  little  things,  should  teach  you. 

1 .  Be  careful  what  you  say. 

The  tongue  is  a  little  member;  but  it  does 
immense  evil.  Let  a  child  drop  one  wicked 
word,  and  another  may  catch  it,  and  remember  it, 
and  follow  the  example,  and  become  a  wicked 
child  and  a  wicked  man.  Let  a  child  tell  one  lie, 
and  he  may  thus  begin  a  course  of  lying  which 
will  ruin  him  for  this  life  and  the  next.  Says  a 
good  man,  speaking  of  his  dear  child,  then  in  the 
grave,  "  When  he  was  about  three  years  old,  an 
aged  female,  at  whose  house  he  was  staying  for  a 
day,  informed  me  that  William  had  told  a  false- 
hood.    I  was  thunder-struck,  and  almost  distract- 


J90  LITTLE  THINGS.  [Lkct.  10. 


The  child  did  not  tell  a  lie. 


ed ;  for  the  information  seemed  to  blast  mj  mosi 
cherished  hopes.  This  might,  1  thought,  be  the 
commencement  of  a  series  of  evils  forever  ruinous 
to  our  peace.  I  am  not  sure  that  my  agony,  on 
hearing  of  his  death,  was  much  more  intense  than 
that  which  I  then  endured,  from  an  apprehension 
of  his  guilt.  Instantly,  but  without  betraying  my 
emotions,  I  asked  him  what  he  had  said.  He 
answered,  at  once,  in  so  artless  a  manner,  as  to 
convince  me  that  my  boy  was  yet  innocent.  I 
pursued  the  inquiry,  and,  in  a  few  moments,  found, 
to  my  inexpressible  joy,  that  he  was  perfectly 
correct  in  all  he  had  stated."  You  see  how 
a  good  father  abhors  a  single  lie.  God  abhors 
it  much  more.  And  one  lie  will  lead  to  others; 
one  wicked  word  to  others  ;  one  foolish  word  to 
others.  Rememljer  that  God  hears  every  word, 
and  will  call  you  to  an  account  for  every  word,  ai 
the  great  day  of  judgment. 


Lrct.  10]  LITTLE    THINGS.  191 

Company.  Every  ilay. 

2.  Be  careful  what  company  you  keep. 

You  may  think  of  God,  and  think  you  will 
Berve  him;  but  one  half  hour  spent  in  wicked 
company  will  drive  all  that  is  good  far  from  you. 
You  may  hear  a  wicked  word  which  you  never 
heard  before.  Where  did  these  children  ever  hear 
wicked  words?  Did  their  parents  teach  them 
these  words  ?  No.  But  you  learned  every 
one  of  them  in  bad  company.  Where  did  you 
learn  wicked  thoughts  ?  Surely,  no  where  but 
in  bad  company.  One  wicked  boy  may  spoil 
many  more.  He  may  spoil  their  manners,  spoil 
their  language,  spoil  their  innocent  feelings,  spoil 
their  obedience  to  God  and  to  their  parents.  See 
to  it,  that  you  are  not  thus  spoiled.  When  you 
hear  one  word  from  any  body,  which  you  feel  that 
your  parents  would  not  say,  be  sure  that  is  bad 
company.     Flee  from  it  at  once. 

3.  Be  careful  to  fear  God  and  live  for  him 
every  day. 

12 


192  LITTLE  THLNGS.  [Lect.  10. 


The  litlle  stream. 


Every  child  can  easily  form  habits  of  sin. 
The}  are  formed  very  easily  indeed.  One  day 
spent  without  thinking  of  God,  or  praying  to  him, 
will  prepare  for  another.  One  Sabbath  broken, 
will  fit  you  to  break  another.  One  day  spent  in  sin, 
will  only  fit  your  heart  for  sin  to  dwell  in.  Would 
you  dig  away  the  dam  which  keeps  in  the  great 
mill-pond  ?  You  need  only  dig  a  little  place,  and 
let  out  a  little  tream,  and  the  whole  will  rush 
through  after  it.  There  may  be  multitudes  lost 
forever,  whose  ruin  might  be  traced  back  to  their 
conduct  on  a  single  day. 

4.  Be  careful  what  you  do. 

Do  you  see  a  thing  which  you  want,  but  which 
is  not  yours  ?  Do  not  covet  it ;  for  you  may  thus 
begin  those  covetous  feelings  which  will  keep  you 
out  of  heaven  Had  Judas  not  coveted  the  first 
thing  which  he  did  covet,  he  would  never  have 
been  so  wicked  as  to  sell  the  blessed  Redeemer. 
Does  your  eye  see  something  which  you  want 


Lect.  10]  LITTLE    THINGS.  193 


The  last  thing  laiiglit  by  tliis  suhjecl. 


and  does  vour  little  hand  want  to  stretch  itself 
out,  and  take  it  ?  Oh,  do  it  not.  do  it  not !  This 
is  stealing.  And  this  may  lead  jou  on  till  you  are 
a  thief,  till  you  are  shut  up  in  the  dungeon,  and 
shut  up  in  hell.  Remember  that  you  ought  not 
to  do  any  thing,  upon  which  you  cannot  go  and 
ask  the  blessing  of  God  in  prayer.  The  eye  of 
the  great  God  is  ever  upon  you ;  and  your  eternitv 
may  hang  upon  the  conduct  of  an  hour.  Remem 
ber  this,  and  be  afraid  to  sin.     Amen. 


194 
LECTURE  XI. 

FRAGMENTS  ALL   TO  BE  SAVED. 

Gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain^  that  nothing  be  losL^^ 

John  6.   12. 

Contents. — The  goldsmith's  shop.  The  mountains  weighed.  The  stara 
named.  The  little  gleaners.  Christ  feeding  the  multitude.  Wrong  to 
waste  things.  Wrong  to  waste  money.  The  deep  river.  Brimstone 
matches.  The  expensive  drink.  Hamilton's  duel.  Life  wasted.  The 
sailor's  dream.  The  ring.  The  ring  lost.  Burning  mountains.  The  ring 
recovered.  The  dream  supposed  to  be  true  and  real.  Limbs  lost.  The 
Bible  wasted.     The  mind  ruined.     Six  things  seen.      I  he  soul — the  SOUL. 

I  SUPPOSE  most  of  these  children  have  been 
into  the  shop  of  a  goldsmith.  A  goldsmith  is  a  man 
who  works  in  gold,  and  makes  beads,  and  rings, 
and  other  things,  out  of  gold.  If  jou  have  ever 
been  in  such  a  shop,  did  you  see  the  man  work  at 
the  gold  ?  What  fine  and  beautiful  tools  he  has  ! 
what  little  saws,  and  files,  and  drills  to  bore  with  ! 
And  then  he  is  very  careful  not  to  waste  any 
gold.  When  he  files  it,  or  bores  it,  he  is  very 
careful  to  have  a  fine,  soft  brush,  with  which  to 


Lect.  ll.J  FRAGMENTS   SAVED.  195 

Tlie  mountains  weighed. 

sweep  up  every  grain  of  gold,  even  the  smallest 
and  finest  dust.  He  is  verj  careful  not  to  lose 
any  fragments. 

Did  you  ever  read  the  40th  chapter  of  Isaiah  ? 
How  wonderfully  is  the  great  God  described 
there !  When  he  spread  out  the  mighty  heavens 
over  our  heads,  "  he  measured  "  them,  so  as  not 
to  have  them  too  large  or  too  small.  When  he 
made  the  great  waters,  he  "  measured  "  them,  so 
as  not  to  have  a  drop  too  much  or  too  little. 
When  he  made  the  hills  and  the  lofty  mountains, 
he  ''  weighed  the  mountains  in  a  scale,  and  the 
hills  in  a  balance,"  so  as  to  have  not  a  grain  of 
sand,  or  a  single  atom,  too  much  or  too  little  ;  not 
because  God  has  not  water  enough,  and  ground 
enough,  l)ut  because  he  would  teach  us  to  ivaste 
nothing.     Every  fragment  must  be  saved  and  used. 

Go  out,  on  some  bright,  star-light  evening,  and 
look  up.  What  a  multitude  of  stars !  How 
thick  they  are  !     If  many  of  them  should  go  out 


196  FRAGMENTS  SAVED.  [Lect    11 

The  stars  named. 

forever,  we  should  not  know  it.  And  if  new 
stars  were  to  be  added  to  them,  we  should  not 
know  it.  Thej  maj  seem  useless  to  us.  We 
eainiot  count  them.  But  God  knows  every  one, 
and  has  not  made  one  too  many  nor  one  too  few. 
David  says,  "  He  telleth  the  number  of  the  stars; 
he  calleth  them  all  by  their  names."  What  a 
family  !     Ail  have  names,  and  all 

*'  Forever  singing,  as  they  shine, 
*  The  hand  that  made  us  is  divine ! '  " 

Have  these  children  never  been  out  in  the  time 
of  harvest,  and  seen  the  men  reap  the  wheat  and 
rye  ?  They  cut  down  the  waving  grain  with  the 
greatest  care,  and  then  bind  it  in  bundles,  and 
then  carefully  cany  it  home  on  the  cart.  They 
try  not  to  lose  any,  because  every  kernel  will 
make  a  little  flour.  But  after  all  their  care,  they 
do  lose  some.  Some  heads  of  wheat  do  droj)  out, 
and  some  kernels  will  shell  out.     God  knew  this 


Lect.  11.]  FRAGMENTS  SAVED.  197 


The  little  gleaners.  Christ  feeding  the  multitude. 

would  be  so.  .  But  he  would  have  nothing  lost ; 
and  so  he  has  made  "  the  little  gleaners,"  such  as 
the  little  bird  and  the  squirrel,  to  follow  the  har- 
vest, and  pick  up  the  fragments,  that  nothing 
be  lost. 

So  Jesus  Christ  teaches  us.  He  preachea 
out  in  the  open  fields,  for  he  had  no  meeting- 
house ;  and,  if  he  had,  it  would  not  have  held  half 
who  wanted  to  hear  him  preach.  A  great  many 
thousands  followed  him  ;  and  vvhen  he  had  taught 
them  for  a  si'eat  while,  and  found  that,  under  the 
hot  sun,  they  were  weary  and  hungry,  he  had 
them  sit  down  on  the  grass  in  companies.  I 
suppose  this  was  so  that  neighbors  and  friends 
might  sit  together,  and,  also,  so  that  they  might 
be  counted.  He  blessed  the  bread,  which  was 
only  five  loaves,  and  the  fishes,  which  were  only 
two  little  ones ;  and  they  all  ate  enough.  One 
loaf  of  bread  was  enough  for  a  thousand  people, 
after  Christ  had  blessed  it.     After  they  had  done 


198  FRAGMENTS  SAVED.  [Lect.  U 

Wronj^  lo  waste  things. 

eating,  he  told  the  dis('i})les  to  gather  up  the 
fragments,  that  nothing  be  lost.  So  they  gather- 
ed up  the  pieces  and  the  crumbs,  and  had  each 
of  them  a  basket  full.  Now,  Christ  could  have 
made  bread  enough  to  feed  the  world.  He  does 
make  enough  for  every  mouth  every  year.  And 
he  could  make  it  at  any  time.  But  he  would 
have  nothing  lost.  The  twelve  baskets  of  frag- 
ments would  do  for  the  poor,  and  do  for  the 
disciples  at  another  time. 

You  see  what  I  am  teaching  you  in  this 
Lecture.  It  is,  that  it  is  wrong  to  waste  any 
thing. 

Give  me  your  thoughts,  and  follow  what  I  say, 
and  see  if  it  be  not  so.  Shall  I  have  your  close 
attention.^  Yes.  I  see,  by  the  looks  of  every 
little  boy  and  every  little  girl,  that  I  shall. 

Suppose  you  know  of  a  narrow  river,  where 
the  waters  are  dark,  and  almost  black.  They 
are  deep,  too — so  deep  that  no   one,  with    the 


Lect.  11]  FRAGMENTS  SAVED.  199 

Wrong  to  waste  money.  The  deep  rivrr. 

longest  pole,  can  reach  the  bottom.  The  stream 
runs  swift,  too  ;  so  that,  if  you  drop  any  thing 
into  that  river,  it  sinks,  and  can  never  be  found 
again.  Now,  suppose,  just  on  the  bank  of  this 
river,  a  little  way  back,  there  is  a  little  cottage. 
It  is  very  small.  And  in  it  is  a  poor  widow  and 
five  or  six  little  children.  The  woman  is  sick 
and  poor,  and  can  neither  work  nor  buy  food  for 
her  hungry  children.  She  is  in  great  distress. 
Suppose  a  man  lives  not  far  off,  who  has  money, 
a  great  deal  of  money.  He  hardly  knows  what 
to  do  with  it.  So,  every  night,  he  comes  just 
before  that  cottage,  where  the  poor  children  are 
crying  for  food,  and  there  drops  a  dollar  into  that 
river.  It  sinks,  and  is  lost  forever.  To-morrow 
night  he  will  do  so  again,  and  so  every  night, 
while  that  wretched  family  are  starving.  Now, 
does  he  not  do  wrong  ?  Has  he  a  right  thus  to 
drop  his  money  into  the  river,  and  let  pooi 
children  suffer  ?   No.  no ;  he  has  no  right   to  do 


200  FRAGMENTS   SAVED.  [Lect.  11. 


The  brimstone  inaiclies 


it.  .But  suppose,  instead  of  throwing  it  in  the 
river,  he  spends  it  for  something  which  he  does 
not  want,  and  which  will  do  him  no  good.  Is 
this  right?  No.  It  is  wasted,  even  then.  Sup- 
pose he  spends  it  for  something  fine  and  showy, 
but  which  is  really  of  no  use.  Is  that  right? 
No.  It  is  still  wasted.  You  see,  then,  that  it  is 
wrong  to  waste  money,  when  people  are  starving. 
A  Bible  can  be  printed  and  bound,  and  sent  to 
a  poor  family,  or  to  a  poor  child  who  has  none, 
for  fifty  cents.  Some  gentlemen  went  out,  one 
day,  to  ask  such  as  choose  to  give,  for  money,  in 
order  to  send  the  Bible  to  the  heathen,  who  have 
none.  They  went  to  one  house  and  another,  and 
at  last  went  up  to  a  house  to  go  in,  where  they 
were  not  acquainted.  As  they  stopped  on  the 
door- steps,  they  overheard  the  gentleman  of  the 
house  talking  to  a  girl  in  the  kitchen  for  wasting 
a  new  match  every  time  she  wanted  to  light  a 
candle.     This,  they  thought,  was  real  stinginess 


Lkct.  II.]  FRAGiMENTS  SAVED.  201 

The  expensive  drink. 

"  Let  us  go,"  says  one  ;  "  we  shall  get  nothing 
here.  A  man  who  scolds  about  a  mateh  will 
never  give  any  thing." 

"  We  can  but  try,"  said  the  other. 

They  went  in,  and  told  their  errand.  The 
gentleman  took  out  his  purse,  and  gave  them 
more  than  any  one  had  done,  enough  to  send  a 
hundred  Bibles  to  the  heathen.  They  were  as- 
tonished at  his  giving  so  much.  They  told  him 
how  they  had  overheard  him  talking  about  the 
match,  and  did  not  expect  any  thing  from  him. 

"  Oh,  this  is  the  very  reason,"  said  the  gentle- 
man, "  why  I  can  give  so  much  to  send  the  Bible. 
I  allow  nothing  to  be  wasted,  and  thus,  by  saving 
all,  1  have  money  with  which  to  do  good." 

But  people  love  to  spend  their  money  for 
handsome  and  fine  things,  rather  than  use  it  to 
send  the  Bible  to  those  who  have  not  any  Bible. 
I  know  they  do.  But  do  they  do  right  ?  Sup- 
pose there  is  a  kind  of  drink  that  you  love  verj 


205i  FRAGMENTS  SAVED.  [Lect.  li. 

Hamilton's  duel. 

much.  It  tastes  so  good,  you  could  drink  a 
\^  hole  tumbler  full  ;-^^but  this  drink,  though  il 
does  not  hurt  you  now,  will,  in  the  end,  shorten 
your  life  one  minute  for  every  drop  you  taste  ; 
one  minute  for  every  drop ;  one  hour  for  every 
tea-spoon  full ;  one  year  for  every  tumbler  full. 
Would  it  be  right  for  you  to  drink  this  awful 
drink,  though  you  do  love  it  ?  No.  No.  You 
know  it  would  not  be  right.  You  have  no  right 
to  waste  your  own  life.  You  may  not  throw 
away  a  year,  nor  a  fragment.  All  must  be  gath- 
ered up.  Nor  have  you  a  right  to  waste  money 
because  you  love  the  useless  things  which  it  will 
buy,  any  more  than  to  waste  life  by  such  a  mis- 
erable drink. 

There  was  once  a  man  by  the  name  of  Ham- 
ilton. He  was  a  great  man,  a  friend  of  Wash- 
ington, a  friend  to  his  country,  and  a  man  who 
was  greatly  respected  and  beloved.  But  in  an 
evil  hour  he  engaged  to  fight  a  duel.     It  was  with 


Lbci.  II.]  FRAGMENTS  SAVED.  20^ 


Life  wasted.  Tlie  sailor's  dream. 

a  man  who  never  missed  his  aim,  and,  therefore, 
Hamilton  felt  certain  that  he  should  be  killed 
He  told  no  one.  But  the  evening  before,  he 
went  to  the  flower  shop,  and  bought  a  beautiful 
bunch  of  flowers  for  his  wife,  and  for  each  of  his 
children.  These  he  carried  home,  and  gave  them 
the  evening  before  the  duel.  They  took  them 
with  smiles,  little  thinkin;::;  that  on  the  morrow 
their  dear  father  would  be  brought  home  to  die. 
He  bade  them  good  night  ;  and  the  next  morning, 
before  any  of  them  had  risen,  he  had  fought  the 
duel,  and  was  brought  home  wounded,  and  was 
soon  to  die.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  that  family 
felt.  But  I  can  ask  you  a  question  here ;  was  it 
right  for  this  man  thus  to  throw  away  his  life  t 
He  had  a  right  to  gather  the  beautiful  roses,  and 
carry  them  home  to  wither  ;  but  he  had  no  right 
to  fight  a  duel,  and  lose  his  life. 

When  John  Newton  was  a  common  sailor,  and 
very  wicked,  he  tells  us  he  hid  this  remarkable 
iream.   "The  scene  [)resented  to  my  imaginaiioD 


204  FRAGMENTS  SAVED.  [Lect    11. 

The  ring. 

v\as  the  harbor  of  Venice,  where  \A'e  had  lately 
l)een.  I  thought  it  was  night,  and  my  watch  up- 
on  the  deck  ;  and  that,  as  I  was  walking  to  and 
fro  by  myself,  a  person  came  to  me  (I  do  not  re- 
m'^mber  from  whence),  and  brought  me  a  ring, 
with  an  express  charge  to  keep  it  carefully ;  as- 
suring me  that,  while  I  preserved  that  ring,  I  should 
be  happy  and  successful  ;  but  if  I  lost  or  parted 
with  it,  I  must  expect  nothing  but  trouble  and 
misery.  I  accepted  the  present  and  the  terms 
willingly,  not  in  the  least  doubting  my  own  care 
to  preserve  it,  and  highly  satisfied  to  have  my 
happiness  in  my  own  keeping.  I  was  eng^a- 
ged  in  these  thoughts,  when  a  second  person 
came  to  me,  and,  observing  the  ring  on  my  fin- 
ger, took  occasion  to  ask  me  some  questions  con- 
ccming  it.  1  readily  told  him  its  virtues;  and  his 
answer  expressed  a  surprise  at  my  w^eakness,  in 
expecting  such  effects  from  a  ring.  !  think  he 
reasoned  with  me  some  time  upon  the  impossibil- 
ity of  the  thing  ;  and  at  length    he  urged  me  in 


Lect    11.]  FRAGMENTS  SAVED.  205 


The  ring  thrown  away.  •  Tlie  burning  mountains. 


direct  terms  to  throw  it  away.  At  first  I  was 
shocked  at  the  proposal ;  but  his  insinuations 
prevaik^d.  I  began  to  reason  and  doubt,  and  at 
last  plucked  it  off  my  finger,  and  dropped  it  over 
the  ship's  side  into  the  water,  which  it  had  no 
sooner  touched,  than  I  saw,  at  the  same  instant, 
a  terrible  fire  burst  out  from  a  range  of  moun- 
tains (a  part  of  the  Alps),  which  appeared  at 
some  distance  behind  the  city  of  Venice.  I  saw 
the  hills  as  distinct  as  if  awake,  and  that  they 
were  all  in  flames.  I  perceived,  too  late,  my 
folly;  and  my  tempter,  with  an  air  of  insult,  in- 
formed me,  that  all  the  mercy  God  had  in  reserve 
for  me  was  comprised  in  that  ring,  which  I  had 
wilfully  thrown  away.  1  understood  that  I  must 
go  with  him  to  the  burning  mountains,  and  that 
all  the  flames  I  saw  were  kindled  on  my  account. 
1  trembled,  and  was  in  great  agony;  so  that  it 
was  surprising  I  did  not  then  awake ;  but  my 
dream  continued,  and  when  I  thought  myself  on 
Jie  point  of  a  constrained  departure,  and  stood 


2C6  FRAGMENTS  SAVED.  [Lect.  11. 


Tlie  ringr  recovered. 


self-condemned,  without  plea  or  hope,  suddenly 
either  a  third  person,  or  the  same  who  brought  me 
the  ring  at  first  (I  am  not  certain  which),  came 
to  me,  and  demanded  the  cause  of  my  grief.  I 
told  him  the  plain  case,  confesshig  that  I  had  ru- 
ined myself  wilfully,  and  deserved  no  pity.  He 
blamed  my  rashness,  and  asked  if  1  should  be 
wiser,  supposing  I  had  my  ring  again  .^  I  could 
hardly  answer  to  this,  for  I  thought  it  was  gone 
beyond  recall.  I  believe,  indeed,  I  had  no  time 
to  answer,  before  I  saw  this  unexpected  friend  go 
down  under  the  water,  just  in  the  spot  where  I 
had  dropped  it,  and  soon  returned,  bringing  the 
ring  with  him  I  The  moment  he  came  on  board, 
the  flames  in  the  mountains  ceased,  and  my  se- 
ducer left  me.  Then  was  *  the  prey  taken  from 
the  hand  of  the  mighty,  and  the  lawful  captive 
delivered.'  My  fears  were  at  an  end,  and,  with 
joy  and  gratitude,  I  approached  my  kind  deliverer 
to  receive  the  ring  again  ;  but  he  refused  to  re- 
ciirn  it,  and  spoke  to  this  effect :  '  If  you  should 


Lect.  It.)  FRAGMENTS  SAVED.  201 


Suppose  the  dream  true  and  real. 


be  intrusted  with  this  ring  again,  you  would  very 
soon  bring  yourself  into  the  same  distress.  ^You 
are  not  able  to  keep  it,  but  I  will  preserve  it  for 
you,  and  whenever  it  is  needful,  will  produce  it  in 
your  behalf.'  Upon  this  I  awoke  in  a  state  of 
mind  not  to  be  described." 

This  was  a  dream;  but  had  it  been  leal,  and 
had  the  ring  been  a  real  ring,  and  able  to  make 
him  happy  as  long  as  he  kept  it,  I  ask  you,  if  he 
would  not  have  done  wrong,  and  have  been  very 
wicked,  in  throwing  it  away  into  the  sea  ?  I 
know  you  will  say.  Yes.  Had  all  of  these  dear 
children  a  ring  put  on  their  first  finger,  which 
could  make  them  happy  as  long  as  they  kept  it, 
would  they  not  be  foolish,  and  wicked,  to  throw 
it  away  ?  Suppose  you  had  such  a  ring,  and,  as 
you  went  home,  you  should  meet  with  a  wicked 
child,  who  should  try  to  persuade  you  to  throw  it 
away, — would  you  not  do  wrong  to  listen  to  him  a 
single  moment  ? 
13 


208  FRAGMENTS  SAVED.  [Lect.  11 


Limbs  lost.  The  Bible  wasted. 

Suppose  that  you  are  very  fond  of  a  certain 
kind  of  food.  It  does  not  hurt  you  now,  but 
some  time  hence  it  will  hurt  you.  It  will  cause 
you  to  lose  a  finger,  and  then  an  arm,  and  then  a 
foot.  Would  it  be  right  for  you  to  eat  it,  though 
you  were  fond  of  it  ?  You  all  say.  No,  it  would 
not  be  right.  Our  hands,  and  our  arms,  and  our 
feet,  are  too  valuable  to  be  wasted  in  this  manner. 

If  each  of  you  had  a  beautiful  new  Bible  given 
you,  and  it  was  the  only  one  you  could  ever  have 
in  this  world,  would  it  not  be  wrong  to  throw  it 
away.^  Would  it  not  be  wrong  to  tear  out  its 
leaves  and  burn  them  ^  Would  it  not  be  wrong 
to  take  a  pen  and  blot  out  whole  verses,  so  that 
you  could  not  read  them  ?  Yes,  I  am  sure  you 
will  all  say,  yes,  it  would  be  wrong.  And  why  ? 
Because  the  Bible  is  too  valuable  to  be  wasted. 

Suppose  you  know  of  a  fine  little  boy,  who 
behaves  well,  and  learns  well,  and  who  has  a 
bright  eye,  and  a  bright  mind  looking  out  of  that 
eye.     He  is  the  hope  of  his  parents.     He  may 


Lkct.  Il-l  FRAGMEiNTS  SAVED.  209 

The  mind  ruined.  Six  thing's  seen. 

make  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  or  a  very  useful 
man,  if  he  lives.  And  suppose  that  two  or  three 
of  these  children  should  get  together  and  lay  a 
plan  to  scare  that  little  boy  on  some  dark  night. 
I'hey  do  it.  They  scare  the  poor  child  so  much 
that  he  loses  his  reason,  and  will  be  crazy  all  the 
rest  of  his  life  !  1  ask  you,  would  not  this  be  very 
wicked,  very  wrong  ?  I  know  you  will  say,  Yes,  yes. 
And  why.^  Because  the  mind  is  too  valuable  to 
be  thus  wasted  and  destroyed  in  sport.  Very  true. 
Now,  if  you  have  heard  what  I  have  been  say- 
ing, you  see, 

1.  That  it  is  wrong  to  w^sXe  property,  because 
it  is  too  valuable.  Christ  would  not  allow  the 
ciumbs  to  be  wasted.  Property  will  feed  and 
clothe  the  poor,  and  send  the  Bible  to  those  who 
have  none. 

2.  That  it  is  wrong  to  waste  our  lives, — be- 
cause life  is  too  valuable  to  be  thrown  awav. 

3.  That  it  is  wrong  to  waste  our  happiness, — 
*t  is  too  precious. 


210  FRAGMENTS  SAVED.  [Lect    li 


The  SOUL — the  soul. 


4.  That  it  is  wrong  to  waste  our  limbs,  sudi 
as  hands  and  feet. 

5.  That  it  would  oe  wrong  to  waste  and  throw 
away  the  Bible,  or  any  part  of  it. 

6.  That  it  would  be  very  wrong  to  destroy  tlie 
mind,  even  of  a  child,  because  the  mind  is  too 
valuable  to  be  wasted. 

And  now,  dear  children,  w^hat  shall  I  say  to 
you  of  the  soul — the  soul — which  will  never 
die?  If  it  be  wrong  to  waste  other  things,  is  it 
not  much  more  so  to  throw  away  your  thoughts, 
your  feelings,  and,  at  last,  your  soul  itself?  Oh, 
you  may  be  careful  of  property,  and  of  life,  and 
happiness,  and  limbs,  and  the  Bible,  and  the  mind  ; 
but  if  you  neglect  the  soul,  and  do  not  see  to 
that,  you  are  miserable  forever.  All  other  things 
are  nothing,  of  no  value,  when  laid  by  the  side  of 
the  soul.  I  beg  you,  then,  as  you  gather  up  the 
fragments  about  the  soul,  not  to  forget  and  neg- 
lect the  soul  itself.  That  must  live  forever 
Amen. 


211 


LECTURE    XII. 

IHE  SABBATH   TO   BE   KEPT   HOLY. 
Remember  the  Sabbath  day,  to  keep  it  holy. — Ex.  20.  8. 

Contents. — Picture-books.  Parables  of  Christ.  A  new  parable.  Tlie 
offer.  The  wreck  of  the  ship.  The  Like-Boat.  Life-boat  in  use.  The 
parable  explained.  The  foolish  excuses.  Who  would  be  a  thief  ?  The 
poor  beggar.  The  house  broken  open.  Little  thieves.  What  makes  peo- 
ple poor.  A  strong  reason.  Story  by  the  Author.  Duly  put  off.  The 
school  not  together.  The  foolish  superstition.  What  makes  a  man  stupid  ? 
The  corpse.  Mill  going  on  the  Sabbath.  Fiittle  boy  crushed  by  the  whee!. 
Sad  thoughts.     Scene  remembered.     Instruction.     Poetry.     Conclusion 

Children,  your  little  books  are  full  of  pictures. 
One  has  in  it  the  picture  of  a  horse ;  another  a 
house,  trees,  rivers,  birds,  and  hills.  Suppose  I 
wanted  to  make  a  little  boy  understand  about  a 
lion,  how  he  looks,  how  he  acts,  and  the  like. 
What  would  be  the  best  way  ?  The  best  way 
would  be  to  lead  him  out,  and  le\  him  see  a  lion. 
But  if  I  could  not  do  it,  the  next  best  way  would 
be  to  show  him  the  picture  of  a  lion.    This  picture 


212  THE  SABBATH.  [Lect.  12 


Panibles  of  Christ.  A  new  parable. 

would  give  him  a  better  iden  of  it  than  any  thing 
I  could  tell  him  about  a  lion. 

Just  so  Jesus  Christ  used  to  preach,  fie  used 
to  tt^ach  in  parables,  which  are  a  kind  of  picture- 
preaching.  In  this  way,  he  used  to  make  things 
plain  and  very  interesting  to  those  who  heard  him. 
Now,  I  am  going  to  give  you  a  parable.  Try  and 
see  if  you  can  understand  it,  and  remember  it. 

There  was  once  a  good  man  w  ho  was  very  rich. 
1  cannot  stop  to  tell  you  all  the  good  things  which 
he  did,  but  will  mention  only  one.  He  built  a  large 
and  beautiful  ship  all  at  his  own  expense.  He 
fitted  up  the  ship  w  ith  a  Pilot  who  knew  the  coast, 
and  a  helm  by  which  to  steer  her,  and  a  compass 
to  point  out  the  way  they  were  sailing.  She  had 
every  thing  ready.  He  then  called  his  friends  to- 
gether, and  said,  "  See,  here  is  a  beautiful  ship, 
filled  w^ith  costly  goods,  and  all  fitted  and  ready  to 
sail.  Every  thinoj  is  ready.  You  may  have  her,  and 
have  every  thing  on  board.    You  may  go  and  trade 


Lect.  12.]  THE  SABBATH.  213 


The  offer.  The  wreck  of  the  ship. 

where  you  please,  on  one  condition.  Not  one  of 
you  may  carry  or  drink  a  drop  of  ardent  spirit 
This  is  the  only  condition  I  make  ;  and  I  make 
this,  because,  otherwise,  you  will  get  the  ship  on 
the  rocks,  and  will  all  be  lost."  The  men  take 
the  ship  on  this  condition,  and  set  sail  for  a  distant 
country.  They  had  been  out  on  the  water  but  a 
little  while,  before  one  of  them  brought  forward 
some  ardent  spirit,  which  he  said  he  had  taken  fo 
sickness,  and  to  make  him  feel  better,  though  he 
had  no  wish  to  disobey  him  who  gave  them  the  ship. 
So  he  drank ;  and,  one  by  one,  they  all  drank,  till 
they  knew  not  how  to  manage  the  ship.  They 
were  intoxicated  by  the  drink.  Then  came  on  the 
dark  night.  The  cold,  wet  winds  blew,  and  the 
whole  ocean  foamed  and  rolled  up  its  great  waves 
most  fearfully.  The  ship  was  carried  onward  and 
onward,  till  she  struck  upon  a  great  flat  rock. 
Here  she  turned  on  one  side,  and  lay,  every  mo- 
ment cr3aking,  as  if  going  to  pieces.      The  peo- 


214  THE  SABBATH.  [Iect.  12. 


The  life-boat. 


pie  on  board  were  too  much  intoxicated  to  do  anj 
thing.  The  morning  comes,  and  it  is  cold,  and  the 
spray  of  the  water,  upon  the  poor  ship,  freezes  in 
a  moment,  and  the  people  are  chilled,  and  cold, 
and  hardly  able  to  hold  themselves  where  they  are. 
They  have  got  over  their  intoxication  just  enough 
to  know  where  they  are.  The  shore  is  near,  but 
no  one  can  get  to  it.  The  high  waves  roll  and 
dash,  and  a  boat  cannot  go  from  the  shore  to  the 
ship.  It  would  be  turned  over  and  sunk  in  a  mo- 
ment. The  people  all  gather  down  on  the  shore, 
and  see  the  ship,  and  the  freezing  people  on  board, 
but  cannot  help  them. 

But,  look !  who  is  that  man  who  hastens  down 
to  the  water's  side.^  It  is  the  good  man  who 
fitted  up  the  ship,  and  gave  her  to  these  people 
He  sees  they  have  disobeyed  him,  and  ruined  the 
ship,  but  he  feels  deeply  for  them.  What  is  he 
going  to  do  ?  See  there  !  He  has  built  a  little 
boat  of  costly  materials,  and  made  it  to  hold  air, 


p^(//^f))\\\Wii\U^^l\\(in*^\\^iii|i,l|!|ii|lli|i 


L«CT.  12.1  THE  SABBATH.  217 


Life-boat  in  use. 


and  filled  it  with  his  own  breath.  That  little  boat 
cannot  be  sunk.  It  will  live  and  swim  any  where. 
It  is  called  the  Life-Boat,  because  it  can  go  out 
on  the  stormy  water,  and  save  the  lives  of  perish- 
ing men  who  are  shipwrecked.  It  is  now  launch- 
ed out  on  the  waters  !  But  who  is  in  it  .^  It  is 
the  only  son  of  that  good  man  !  See !  it  bounds 
and  drives  from  wave  to  wave  like  a  feather — 
straight  to  the  ship !  The  poor  people  on  board 
gaze  upon  it.  They  are  perishing!  There,  now, 
one  has  dropped  over  in  the  waves,  and  is  lost! 
No, — the  life-boat  has  picked  him  up !  One  and 
another  gets  in,  and  the  little  boat  shoots  off  over 
the  stormy  water  for  the  shore.  Again  and  again 
it  comes,  and  will  hasten  backwards  and  forwards 
all  day,  till  dark,  so  that  all  may  have  the  oppor- 
tunity of  getting  on  shore,  if  they  please.  But 
some  are  ashamed  to  see  the  face  of  that  good 
man  on  shore,  and  so  they  hesitate,  and  do  not  get 
into  the  life-boat.  They  had  rather  perish  where 
they  are. 


218  THE  SABBATH.  [Lect.  12. 


The  parable  explained. 


Now,  tell  me,  is  not  that  a  very  kind  and  good 
man  ?  You  all  say.  Yes.  And  is  not  that  life- 
boat an  admirable  contrivance  ?  You  all  say.  Yes. 
And  are  not  those  who  will  not  get  into  it  very 
foolish  ?     Yes. 

Well,  then,  you  have  my  parable.  Do  you 
understand  it.^  The  world  is  the  ship,  and  God 
is  the  good  man  who  built  it,  and  gave  it  to  us. 
We  have  become  intoxicated  with  sin,  are  ruined, 
and  lost.  The  Sabbath  is  the  life-boat,  which 
comes  regularly  from  the  shores  of  eternity,  and 
offers  to  carry  us  near  to  God,  and  to  safety. 

But  I  want  to  talk  a  little  longer  about  this 
shipwreck,  and  this  life-boat ;  and  I  do  it  so 
that  you  need  not  forget  it.  He  who  neglects 
or  refuses  to  keep  the  Sabbath  holy,  refuses  to 
leave  the  wreck  of  the  ship,  and  chooses  to 
brave  the  storms  and  the  ruin  which  will  one  day 
consume  the  whole  world  to  ashes.  Is  this  wise  ? 
Is  this  safe  ?  Is  this  being  grateful  to  God  ? 
Suppose   some    one   on  the    wreck   of  the  ship 


Lbct.  12  I  THE  SABBATH.  219 


The  foolish  excuses 


should  hiugh  at  the  little  life-boat,  and  say,  "  It 
can  never  carry  any  one  to  the  shore."  Would  it 
be  wise  to  mind  him  ?  Suppose  some  should  say, 
"We  are  too  busy,  and  we  wish  to  drink  a  little 
more  of  that  intoxicating  drink,  before  we  go." 
Would  that  be  wise,  and  should  others  do  like 
them  ?  Suppose  others,  again,  should  say,  "  We 
intend  to  go  in  the  boat  before  night,  but  as  we 
are  ashamed  to  see  the  face  of  the  good  man 
whom  we  have  disobeyed,  we  will  not  go  now, 
but  will  wait  awhile."  Is  this  wise  ?  Is  this 
safe  ? 

Just  so  people  do,  who  neglect  to  keep  the 
Sabbath  holy.  They  hear  others  speak  lightl}' 
of  religion,  and  so  they  let  this  life-boat  come 
and  go,  once  every  week,  and  do  not  improve  it. 
Or  they  are  busy,  and  want  to  drink  in  more  sin, 
and  so  they  say,  "  Not  now."  Or  they  are 
ashamed  to  go  and  confess  to  God,  and  so  they 
say  the}  ire  going  to  improve  the  Sabbath,  and 


220  THE  SABBATH  [Lect.  12 


Who  would  be  a  thief?  The  poor  beggai. 

serve  God  at  some  time,  before  the  night  of 
death  comes ;  but  are  not  yet  ready.  Is  this 
wise  ?    Will  you  be  like  them  ?    I  trust  not. 

Who  would  be  a  thief?  I  suppose  there  is 
not  a  child  present  who  does  not  think  it  very 
mean,  and  low,  and  wicked,  to  steal.  You  would 
despise  the  little  boy  who  would  put  your  ball  or 
your  top  into  his  pocket,  and  thus  steal  it ;  and 
the  little  girl  who  would  put  a  doll  or  a  pin-cushion 
in  her  bag,  and  carry  it  home,  would  be  despised 
as  mean  and  wicked.  But  suppose  a  poor  man, 
who  was  without  any  home,  should  come  to 
your  house,  almost  without  clothing,  and  very 
hungry.  You  all  at  once  pity  him.  You  give 
him  food  to  eat,  and  your  mother  looks  him  up 
some  clothing.  And  as  he  goes  away,  warm 
and  comfortable,  your  father  says  to  him,  •'  Here, 
poor  man,  here  are  six  dollars.  I  have  but 
seven  in  the  world,  and  give  you  six  of  them, 
and  will  keep  only  the  seventh  for  myself  and 


Lect.  12.J  THE  SABBATH.  221 


The  house  broken  open. 


family."  WDuld  not  this  be  very  kind  and  gen- 
erous in  your  father.''  I  know  you  all  think  it 
would.  But  suppose  that  poor  man  went  away, 
not  thankful  in  the  least,  and,  in  the  night,  cam(j 
back,  and  broke  into  your  house,  and  stole  that 
seve7ith  and  last  dollar  which  your  father  has. 
What  would  he  deserve  ?  Why,  he  would  al- 
most deserve  the  gallows.  He  would  be  an 
ungrateful  monster,  and  a  vile  thief.  But  sup- 
pose, also,  that,  in  breaking  into  the  house,  to  get 
ihe  dollar,  he  had  to  kill  several  members  of  the 
family.  W^hat  now  do  you  say  ?  Is  any  punish- 
ment too  severe  ?  But  take  care,  or  you  pass 
sentence  u))on  yourself. 

W^e  are  the  poor  man,  and  God  has  but  seven 
days  in  the  week.  He  gives  us  six  of  these,  in 
which  to  "  labor  and  do  all  our  work,"  and  keej)s 
only  the  seventh  for  himself.  And  the  man,  or 
the  woman,  or  the  child,  who  breaks  the  Sab- 
bath, steals  frc  m  God.     Yes,  he  robs  God.     And, 


222  THE  SABBATH.  (Lect.  IL 

Little  thieves.  What  makes  people  poor. 

in  doing  it,  he  sets  a  wicked  example,  which  kills 
the  souls  of  others.  Is  not  this  stealing?  Will 
you  rt  member,  then,  that  when  you  break  the 
Sabbath,  you  steal  from  God  ?  Are  there  no 
Httle  thieves  present,  who  have  often  thus  stolen 
from  God  ?  Now,  will  God  bless  you  and  pros- 
per you  in  doing  so  ? 

You  see  why  the  families  who  break  the  Sab- 
bath, and  who  do  not  go  to  meeting,  are  generally 
so  poor  and  so  miserable.  It  is  because  they 
steal  from  God  every  seventh  day  of  their  lives; 
and  God  will  not,  and  does  not  bless  them  in  it. 
Merchants  who  keep  their  counting-rooms  open 
on  the  Sabbath,  generally  fail  in  business,  and 
lose  all  the  property  they  have.  A  gentleman 
took  notice,  in  New  York,  for  twenty-five  years, 
that  every  merchant  who  thus  broke  the  Sabbath, 
failed,  without  a  single  exception.  And  a  great 
lawyer  in  this  country,  who  helped  to  try  very 
many  for  murder,  says,  that  they  all  began  theii 
wickedness  by  breaking  the  Sabbath. 


I.ECT.  12  ]  THE  SABBATH.  223 


Strong  reasMi.  Story  by  llie  author. 

1  have  a  strong  reason  why  1  feel  very  anxious 
10  have  these  children  remember  the  Sabbath  day, 
and  keep  it  holy.  And  1  will  now  give  yon  this 
strong  reason. 

Many  years  ago,  while  I  was  in  college,  1 
opened  a  Sabbath  School  in  a  distant,  neglected 
neighborhood,  yet  within  the  limits  of  the  town. 
At  first,  the  project  was  greatly  ridiculed,  and 
many  opposed.  But  ridicule  and  opposition  soon 
give  way  to  a  good  cause,  and  in  a  short  time  1 
had  seventy  scholars.  The  room  in  which  we 
met  was  an  unfinished  chamber  of  a  poor,  lame 
woman — the  only  place  that  was  offered.  The 
floor  was  not  nailed  down,  and  neither  ceiling  nor 
plaster  had  ever  been  seen  in  the  chamber.  The 
chimney  passed  up  in  the  centre,  and  the  bare 
rafters  were  over  our  heads.  Yet  never  did  1  see 
brighter  or  happier  faces  than  among  the  little 
groups  with  which  I  regularly  met.  They  lived 
so  far  from  meeting,  that  few  could  attend;  or, 


224  THE  SABBATH.  [Lect.  12 

Duty  put  off. 

rather,  their  parents  felt  too  indifferent  to  carry 
them ;  so  that  their  Sabbath  School  embraced  all 
that  was  Sabbath  to  them.  It  is  now  many  years 
since,  and  I  suppose  they  have  all  grown  up,  or 
have  been  removed  into  eternity  ere  this  time ;  but 
I  can  never  forget  this,  my  first  Sabbath  School, 
nor  the  happy  countenances  which  composed  it. 

One  hot  Sabbath,  I  had  walked  out  to  meet  my 
Sabbath  School,  and,  at  the  close  of  the  lessons,  I 
felt  weary  and  unwell.  The  children  were  ex- 
pecting me  to  give  them  a  history  of  the  holy 
Sabbath,  from  its  first  appointment,  and  to  tell 
them  IV hy  God  appointed  it,  and  what  are  our 
duties  in  regard  to  it ;  for  so  I  had  promised  them, 
and  had  in  fact  prepared  myself  to  do  it.  But, 
being  weary  and  unwell,  I  told  them  that,  for 
these  reasons,  I  would  defer  it  till  the  next  Sab- 
bath. While  thus  putting  it  off,  I  noticed  a  bright 
little  boy,  sitting  near  me,  who  seemed  to  look 
disappointed.      He  had  expected   to  liear  about 


L«CT.  12.]  THE  SABBATH.  22b 

The  school  not  together. 

fhe  holy  Sabbath.  Oh,  had  I  remembered  how 
Christ  taught  the  poor  woman  of  Samaria,  though 
he  was  weary  and  faint,  should  I  not  have  done 
diflerently  ? 

The  next  Sabbath  came,  and  my  school  were 
again  coming  together.  On  arriving  at  the  house, 
instead  of  finding  them  all  quiet  in  their  seats,  as 
usual,  I  found  them  grouped  around  the  door, 
some  sobbing,  others  looking  frightened — all  si- 
lent.      On    inquiry,  they   told    me    that    "  little 

Lewis had  just  been  killed  by  the  mill ! " 

This  was  all  they  knew  about  it.  At  the  head  of 
my  little  flock,  I  hastened  to  the  house  where  the 
little  boy  lived.  At  the  door  I  was  met  by  the 
father  of  the  child,  wringing  his  hands,  his  face 
red  and  swollen,  his  eyes  sunken  and  glaring,  and 
his  breath  loaded  with  the  fumes  of  ardent  spirits. 

"  Oh,"  cried  the  man,  *'I  might  have  known 
it.     I  might  have  known  it  all !  " 

"  Might  have  known  what,  sir  ?  " 
14 


220  THE  SABBATH.  [LtCT.  12 

The  foolish  superstition. 

"  Oh,  I  mio:ht  have  known  that  to-dav  one  of 
my  family  must  go ;  but  I  did  not  think,  could 
not  think,  it  must  be  my  youngest  boy  ! " 

''Pray,  how  might  you  have  known  that  one 
must  die  to-dav  ?  " 

"  Why,  when  I  came  home  last  evening,  old 
Rover"  (pointing  to  a  stupid  old  dog  that  lay 
crouched  under  the  table)  "  sat  on  the  door-steps, 
with  his  face  to  the  east,  howling,  and  howling. 
I  knew  then  some  one — or  I  might  have  known 
that  some  one — must  go  to-day,  but  did  not  think 
It  must  be  poor  little  Lewis !  " 

"  Do  you  believe  there  is  a  God  ?  " 

"Oh,  ves,  have  no  doubt  of  it." 

''And  do  you  suppose  he  reveals  events  to  a 
dog,  a  creature  without  a  soul,  and  without  rea- 
son, which  he  does  not  reveal  to  the  wisest  of 
men  ?  Nothing  is  more  common  than  for  a  dog 
to  howl  when  his  master  is  gone,  and  he  feels 
lonely ;  and  as  to  his  face  being  towards  the  east, 


Lect.  12.] 


THE  SABBATH.  227 


What  makes  a  man  stupid.  The  corpse. 


I  see  nothing  strange  in  that,  since  your  house 
faces  the  east." 

<*Ah,  you  may  say  so;  but  I  might  have 
known  it  would  come," — and  again  he  turned 
away  to  sob,  and  1  fear  to  drink,  and  then  wonder 
over  his  being  more  stupid  than  his  dog. 

I  led  my  scholars  into  the  room,  v^hey  seemed 
to  breathe  only  from  the  top  of  their  lungs.  I 
lifted  up  the  white  napkin,  and  there  was  little 
Lewis — a  mangled  corpse  !  The  children  were 
all  hushed  as  we  gazed.  The  little  girls  covered 
their  faces  with  their  handkerchiefs  and  aprons. 
The  little  boys  wiped  their  eyes  with  their  hands 
and  with  the  sleeves  of  their  jackets. 

For  some  weeks,  it  had  been  very  dry,  and  the 
streams  had  become  low.  But  during  the  pre- 
cedmg  day  and  night,  a  heavy  rain  had  fallen.  A 
mill,  on  a  small  stream  near  by,  which  had  stood 
still  for  some  time  for  want  of  water,  was  set  a- 
going  early  on  Sabbath  morning.  I  need  not  ask 
if  the  miller  feared  God. 


228  THE  SABBATH.  [Lect.  1& 

Mil)  going  on  llie  Sabbath.  Little  boy  crushed  by  the  wheel. 

About  an  hour  before  the  Sabbath  Scliool  usu- 
ally came  together,  little  Lewis  went  down  to  the 
mill-stream  to  bathe.  The  poor  boy  had  ne^er 
seen  his  parents  keep  the  Sabbath  holy.  He 
swam  out  into  the  stream.  The  current  was 
strong — too  strong  for  him — he  raised  the  cry  of 
distress — the  miller  heard  him  and  saw  him,  but 
was  too  much  frightened  to  do  any  thing.  The 
current  swept  along — the  little  boy  struggled — 
again  cried  for  help — the  waters  rushed  on — he 
was  sucked  down  under  the  gate — the  great  mill- 
wheel  rolled  round — crash  ! — he  was  in  a  moment 
crushed  and  dead!  Scarcely  had  his  last  cry 
reached  the  ears  of  the  miller,  before  his  mangled 
corpse  came  out  from  under  the  wheel.  It  was 
the  same  little  boy  ivho  had  looked  so  disappointed 
on  the  last  Sabbath,  because  I  omitted  to  talk  about 
the  holy  Sabbath, 

While  standing  beside  the  lifeless  clay  of  this 
fair  child,  with  all  the  children   about  me,  my 


Lect.  12.] 


THE  SABBATH.  220 


Sad  ihoughls.  Scene  remembered. 


feelings  were  awful  indeed.     It  seemed  as  if  ev- 
erj  child  would  cry  out,  "  Oh,  had  you  kept  youf 
word,  and  told  us  about  breaking  the  Sabbath,  he  ^ 
would  not  have  gone  into  the  water— he  would 
not  have  lain  there  dead."     It  seemed  as  if  the 
lips,  though  sealed  by  the  hand  of  death,  would 
open  and  reproach  me.     "  Had  I  not  put  off  my 
duty,  probably  this  life  would  have  been  saved— 
perhaps  an  undying  soul  would  have  been  saved 
from  the  guilt  of  being  the  everlasting  enemy  of 
God.     What  sacrifices  would  I  not  make,  could 
that  child    once    more    come    into   my    Sabbath 
School !  "    Such  were  my  thoughts.    I  have  never 
been  able  to  look  back  upon  that  scene  without 
keen  anguish.     I  have  sometimes  mentioned  it  to 
Sabbath  School  teachers,  and,  by  it,  urged  them 
never  to  put  off  till  the  next  Sabbath  any  duty 
which  can  be  performed  on  this.     And  since  1 
have  been  a  minister,  when  I  have  felt  weary  and 
feeble,  and  tempted  to  put  off  some  duty  to  a 


230  THE  SABBATH.  [Lect.    2 

Instruction.  Poetry. 

more  convenient  season,  I  have  recalled  tnal 
scene  to  my  mind ;  and  truly  thankful  shall  I 
feel  in  the  great  judgment  day,  if  you,  my  dear 
children,  will  learn  from  this  simple  story  two 
Uiings. 

1.  To  remember  and  keep  holy  the  Sabbath 
day.  Had  that  dear  child  only  obeyed  this  one 
short  text,  he  would  not  have  been  called  to  the 
presence  of  God  while  in  the  very  act  of  sin. 

*'  This  day  belongs  to  God  alone  ; 
He  makes  the  Sabbath  for  his  own  ; 
And  we  must  neither  work  nor  play 
Upon  God's  holy  Sabbath  day. 

'Tis  well  to  have  one  day  in  seven, 
That  we  may  learn  the  way  to  heaven  ; 
Or  else  we  never  should  have  thounrht 
About  his  worship  as  we  ought. 

And  every  Sabbath  should  be  passed 
As  if  we  knew  it  were  our  last; 
For  what  would  dying  people  give 
To  have  one  Sabbath  more  to  live  I  " 


Le(t.  I2.J  THE  SABBATH.  231 


Conclusion. 


2.  Never  to  put  off  any  duty,  or  any  opjjortu- 
iiity  to  do  good,  because  you  do  not  Teel  like 
doing  it  now.  You  may  never  have  the  opportu- 
nity again. 

Should  you  live  and  grow  up,  I  have  no  doubt 
but  you  will  be  prospered  and  happy,  that  you 
will  be  respected  and  useful,  very  much  as  you 
keep  the  Sabbath.  God  will  honor  those  whc 
honor  him.  He  does  not  ask  us  even  to  open  the 
doors  of  his  house  for  nothing ;  no,  he  will  repay 
us  in  this  life,  and  in  the  life  to  come,  with  ever- 
lasting blessings.  May  all  these  great  rewards 
be  yours,  my  dear  children,  by  your  keeping  his 
commandments.     Amen. 


232 


1.  ECTURE    XIII. 

THE  GRAVE  LOSING  ITS  VICTORY. 

O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  1 — I  Cor.  15.  55. 

Contents. — Vapor  of  morning.  Garden  flowers.  Wljat  is  a  buoy?  The 
drowning  man  clinging  to  the  buoy.  Morning  alter  tiie  storm.  Who  must 
die.  The  twins.  Beautiful  poetry.  Who  can  die  happy  ?  My  sister's 
grave — and  the  two  little  boys.  Reflections  in  a  grave-yard.  The  soul 
lives  a!\er  the  body  dies.  The  humming-bird.  The  island.  The  adven- 
turer— his  return — his  tidings — ^his  death.  Meaning  of  the  story.  The 
Christian's  death.  Angels'  conversation.  Beautiful  description  of  heaven. 
Conclusion. 

The  Bible,  my  dear  children,  talks  a  great 
deal  about  the  shortness  of  our  lives.  4Did  you 
ever  get  up  in  some  October  morning,  and  see  a 
thick  vapor  or  fog  hanging  over  the  wide  mead- 
ows and  fields  ?  You  could  not  see  a  man,  or 
even  a  great  tree,  at  a  little  distance,  the  fog  was 
so  thick.  But  go  out  a  few  hours  afterwards, 
when  the  sun  is  up,  and  where  is  all  this  vapor 
gone  ?  ^  \t  is  all  melted  away,  and  has  left  no 


Lkct.  13.]  THE  GRAVE.  233 

Garden  Bowers. 

mark  on  any  thing.  Such,  the  Bible  says,  is 
the  life  of  man.  You  may  look  upon  a  great 
congregation  to-day,  and  see  the  street  full  of 
people,  and  in  a  few  short  years  they  are  all  gone 
— and  forgotten,  like  the  vapor. 

Did  you  ever  walk  along  the  street,  and  stop 
and  look  into  a  garden,  and  admire  the  beautiful 
flowers  which  were  waving  in  rows  each  side  of 
the  alley  ?  I  presume  you  have.  What  colors  ! 
How  many  kinds !  See  that  tulip — that  pink — 
that  rose !  How  beautiful !  But  wait  a  few 
short  months,  and  then  stop  there  again.  Where 
now  are  those  flowers  ?  All  faded  and  gone  ;  all 
dead  and  passed  away.  Just  so,  says  the  Bible, 
do  we  all,  even  the  fairest  among  men,  die  and 
pass  away  as  the  flower. 

Now,  why  do  men  all  die  ?  Do  they  wish  to 
die  ?  No,  far  from  it.  Let  any  man  be  sick,  and 
be  in  danger  of  dying,  and  what  will  he  not  do, 
rather  than  die  ?     Why,  he  will  swallow  as  much 


234  THE  GRAVE.  [Lect.  15. 

What  is  a  buoy  ? 

bitter,  disgusting  medicine  as  the  doctor  wishes 
him  to.  He  will  let  him  cut  off  his  arm  or  his 
leg,  or  cut  out  his  eye, — or  do  any  thing,  if  he 
may  only  live.  Men  had  rather  do  any  thing  than 
die.  For  the  most  part,  they  are  unwilHng  even 
to  think  of  death,  and  contrive  to  think  of  ten 
thousand  things  rather  than  that. 

Do  you  know  what  a  buoy  is  ?  1  will  tell  you. 
When  a  river  runs  into  the  sea,  the  bed  in  which 
it  runs  along  is  called  the  channel ;  and  at  the 
place  where  it  goes  into  the  sea,  the  water  is 
deeper  in  the  channel  than  any  where  else;  so 
that,  when  vessels  would  go  up  a  river  from  the 
great  sea,  they  try  to  keep  in  the  channel,  so  as 
to  be  in  deep  water.  But  how  shall  they  know 
where  the  channel  is  ?  In  this  way.  The  peo- 
ple who  know  where  the  channel  is,  take  a  great 
stone,  and  tie  a  rope  to  it,  and  let  it  sink  just  in 
the  middle  of  the  channel.  At  the  other  end  of 
the  rope  is  a  large,  round,  pine  stick,  or  log,  tied 


Lect.  13.1  THE  GRAVE.  235 


The  di owning  man  clinging  to  the  buoy. 


Ihis  log  floats  upon  the  water,  and  is  held  hi  its 
place  by  the  stone  at  the  bottom.  Well,  this  log 
is  called  a  buoy^  and  the  sailors  steer  just  along- 
side ol*  the  buoys,  when  they  would  go  safe. 

During  an  awfully  stormy  day,  a  vessel  was 
seen  coming  towards  the  shore.  The  men  could 
not  manage  her.  The  people  on  shore  saw  her, 
but  could  do  nothing.  There  were  some  great 
rocks  out  from  the  shore,  a  mile  or  two ;  and  on- 
ward she  drove  towards  those  rocks.  Soon  she 
was  on  thiem — dash — and  was  split  all  in  pieces. 
The  people  on  shore  could  see  it  all,  but  had  no 
life-boat,  nor  any  means  by  which  to  help  them. 
Were  the  poor  sailors  all  drowned  ?  No, — there 
was  one  poor  fellow  who  floated  awhile.  They 
watch  him.  All  the  rest  are  gone.  Now  he  tries 
to  swim  a  little.  There !  he  has  caught  hold  of 
a  buoy^  and  clings  to  it  for  life.  O,  if  they  could 
only  get  to  him!  but  they  cannot.  There  he 
hangs,  and   rises   and  falls   on   each  w^ave — still 


236  THE  GRAVE.  [Leci.  13 


Morninsf  after  the  storm. 


clinging  to  the  buoy.  Is  he  willing  to  die  ?  No, 
he  would  hang  there  years,  if  he  could,  rather 
than  to  die.  And  now  it  is  night ;  the  sun  goes 
down  ;  the  darkness  begins  to  come  over  the  dark 
waters ;  and  the  people  sigh,  and  begin  to  go  home, 
leaving  the  poor  sailor  still  holding  on  to  the  buoy 
for  his  life.  One  by  one  they  go  away,  and  then 
turn,  and  turn  round  again,  to  see  if  they  can  see 
him.  The  last  man  now  goes :  it  is  dark,  and 
he  turns  and  looks.  Can  he  see  the  buoy  and  the 
man  ?  No ! — ^yes,  yes,  he  is  still  there  !  They 
go  to  their  homes ;  they  pray  for  that  poor  sailor ; 
they  dream  about  him  ;  they  think  much  of  him. 
The  morning  comes.  The  sun  rises  fair,  and  the 
people  had  hastened  down  as  soon  as  the  light 
broke  in  the  east,  to  see  if  the  poor  man  was 
there.  The  storm  had  gone  past,  and  the  buoy 
was  still  floating  there.  But  where  was  the  sail- 
or ?  Ah,  he  was  gone,  gone  to  the  bottom,  and 
will  be  seen  ud  more  till  the  resurrection  day. 


Lect.  J3]  the  grave.  237 

Who  must  die  ? 

Is  it  not  plain,  that  we  know  that  every  body 
dreads  to  die  ?  Why,  then,  must  every  body  die  ? 
The  Bible  tells  us,  *'  Death  hath  passed  upon  all 
men,  in  that  all  have  sinned."  Yes,  all  are  sin- 
ners, and  must  therefore  die.  The  old,  gray- 
headed  man  must  soon  go.  Death  will  not  re- 
spect his  silver  locks.  He  W'ill  put  him  in  the 
grave.  The  man  in  middle-life  is  cut  down,  too, 
though  wife  and  children  may  weep  and  pray 
against  it.  The  fair  youth  and  the  sweet  child 
are  not  spared  ;  and  I  think  I  have  never  had  my 
heart  more  affected,  than  when  called  to  attend 
the  funeral  of  children.  1  have  seen  them  in  the 
coffin,  when  they  looked  so  fair  and  beautiful,  that 
it  seemed  hard  to  bury  them  up  in  the  ground. 
'I'he  beautiful  lines  which  I  am  now  about  to 
read  you,  very  accurately  describe  what  ministers 
nmst  often  see.  They  describe  two  little  twin 
babes,  dead,  and  in  the  coffin,  and  the  mother 
bending  over  it,  and  looking  upon  them  through 
her  tears. 


838  THE  GRAVE.  [L.ect.  15 


The  twins.  Beautiful  poetry. 


*'  'Twas  summer,  and  a  Sabbath  eve, 

And  balmy  was  the  air  : 
I  saw  a  sight  which  made  me  grieve — 

And  yet  the  sight  was  fair — 
Within  a  little  coffin  lay 
Two  lifeless  babes,  as  sweet  as  May. 

Like  waxen  dolls,  which  infants  dress, 

Their  little  bodies  were  ; 
A  look  of  placid  happiness 

Did  on  each  face  appear. 
And  in  the  coffin,  short  and  wide, 
They  lay  together,  side  by  side. 

A  rose-bud,  nearly  closed,  I  found 

Each  little  hand  within. 
And  many  a  pink  was  strewed  around, 

With  sprigs  of  jessamine  ; 
And  yet  the  flowers  that  round  them  la) 
Were  not  to  me  more  fair  than  they. 

Their  mother,  as  a  lily  pale. 

Sat  by  them  on  a  bed, 
And,  bending  o'er  them,  told  her  tale, 

And  many  a  tear  she  shed  ; 
Yet  oft  she  cried,  :miidst  her  pain, 
*  My  babes  and  T  shall  meet  affain  !  '  " 


i.ECT.  13. J  THE  gravt:  239 

Who  can  die  ha|)|)y  ? 

Do  you  know  what  it  was  that  ^ave  comfort 
to  this  weeping  mother,  as  she  saw  her  dear  twin 
l)abes  in  the  coffin  ?  It  was  the  hope  of  the  gos- 
pel ; — hope,  that  Jesus  Christ  would  watch  over 
them  in  the  grave,  and  at  last  raise  them  from  the 
long  sleep  of  death,  and  that  she  would  be  allowed 
to  meet  them  again  in  heaven,  to  part  from  them 
no  more.  Yes,  the  gospel  of  Christ  gives  us  that 
blessed  hope.  ''  1  heard  a  voice  from  heaven 
saying,  Write,  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the 
Lord ;  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  from  henceforth,  for 
they  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do 
follow  them."  For  this  reason,  we  cannot  go  and 
stand  by  the  grave  of  a  Christian,  without  having 
hope  spring  up  in  the  breast.  It  may  be  the 
grave  of  some  dear  friend  ;  but  if  he  died  a  Chris- 
tian, we  feel  that  Christ  will  one  day  come  to 
ihat  grave,  and  awake  his  sleeping  disciple. 

A  short  time  since,  just  at  sunset,  on  a  sum- 
mer's day,  1  went  to  the  grave  of  a  dear  sister  of 


240  THE  GRAVE.  [Lect.  13 

My  sister's  grave— and  the  two  little  boys. 

mine.  Her  two  little  boys  went  with  me.  When 
we  had  arrived  there,  I  saw  four  little  rose-bushes 
standing,  two  at  the  head  and  two  at  the  foot  of 
the  grave,  bending  over,  as  if  to  meet  and  hang 
over  the  grave. 

*'That  is  her  grave — our  mother's  grave,"  said 
one  of  the  boys. 

''And  those  rose-bushes" — said  I,  as  the  tears 
started  in  my  eyes, — 

"Those,"  said  the  eldest,  ''brother  and  I,  and 
father,  set  out  soon  after  she  was  laid  there. 
Those  two  at  the  head  she  planted  in  the  garden 
herself,  and  we  took  them  up,  and  set  them  there, 
and  call  them  "  mother's  bushes." 

"  And  what  do  you  remember  about  your 
dear  mother,  my  boys  ?  " 

"  Oh,  every  thing." 

"What,  in  particular?" 

"  0/?,  this^  uncle,  that  there  never  was  a  day  since 
I  can  remember,  in  which  she  did  not  take  us  to  her 


Lect.  13.]  THE   GRAVE.  241 


Reflections  in  a  grave-yard. 


closet^  and  pray  with  us,  unless  she  teas  sick  on 
(he  bed  r' 

Never  did  that  sister  seem  so  dear  to  me  as  at 
that  moment ;  and  never  did  my  heart  feel  so  full 
a  hope  in  the  words  which  were  engraved  on  the 
tomb-stone — 

"No  mortal  woes 
Can  reach  the  peaceful  sleeper  here, 
While  angels  watch  her  soft  repose." 

Dear  children,  you  and  I  must  die,  because  we 
are  sinners.  V  And  every  grave  that  is  dug  and 
filled  up,  is  a  new  monument  to  show  that  men 
are  all  sinners.  Men  sometimes  are  so  foolish  as 
to  deny  that  there  ever  was  a  flood,  which  drown- 
ed all  the  world  in  a  few  days ',4  but  they  cannot 
deny  that  death  now  sweeps  off  the  whole  world 
once  in  about  thirty  years.  Go  to  that  grave- 
yard yonder.  How  full  of  graves !  You  tread 
on  some  sleeper  at  every  step.  "  Who  slew  all 
these  ?  "  Suppose  you  should  go  to  a  great  pris- 
15 


242  THE  GRAVE.  [Lect.  13 


Reflections  in  a  grave-yard. 


^  on,  full  of  little  cells,  and  every  cell  had  a  pris- 
oner chained  in  it,  and  the  number  was  as  great 
as  the  number  of  graves  in  that  grave-yard. 
Would  you  not  think  to  yourself,  "  Here  must  be 
a  great  deal  of  guilt  and  sin,  in  order  to  fill  all 
these  cells  ?  "  And  the  grave-yard  is  the  prison- 
house  where  God  has  confined  so  many  prisoners. 
There  is  no  grave  in  heaven,  and  there  never 
would  have  been  one  on  earth,  had  it  not  been 
for  sin. 

What  a  beautiful  piece  of  w^orkmanship  is  de- 
stroyed when  one  of  these  children  die  !  The 
hands  hang  motionless ;  the  bright  eye  is  closed 
and  dull  in  darkness  ;  the  fresn  cheek  is  pale  and 
cold ;  the  tongue  is  silent ;  and  the  whole  body, 
like  a  broken  vessel,  is  in  ruins.  But  we  may  re- 
joice that  the  disciple  of  Christ  may  go  shouting 
into  the  grave,  ''  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?  " 
Christ  himself  has  been  in  it,  and  sanctified  it,  and 
ilessed  it      Besides,  the  grave  can  only  receive 


I.ECT.  13.]  THE  GRAVE.  243 

The  soul  lives  aflCi*  the  body  dies.  The  humming-bird. 

ind  claim  the  poorer  part  of  us.  It  only  takes 
the  body ;  while  the  soul,  the  immortal  part,  es- 
capes its  power.  You  know  you  can  seem  to  see 
things  when  the  eye  is  shut,  and  you  dream  of 
things  when  asleep.  And  so  the  soul  can  live, 
and  think,  and  act,  when  the  body  is  in  the  grave. 
Yon  will  sleep  in  the  grave  a  long,  long  time,  but 
not  always.  God  can,  and  will  raise  up  the  body 
again.  He  is  able.  Do  you  see  that  beautiful 
little  humming-bird  dancing  from  flower  to  flower, 
like  a  spirit  of  flowers  ?  He  was  once  confined 
to  the  little  mummy  shell ;  but  God  brought  him 
out.  See  that  looking-glass  :  how  perfectly  you 
can  see  your  face  and  form,  and  every  hair  on 
your  forehead  in  it !  But  had  you  seen  the  coarse 
sand  lie  on  the  sea-shore,  before  the  workmen 
began,  would  you  think  that  they  could  make 
such  a  thing  from  that  sand  ?  So  God  will  raise 
us  up  from  the  grave  by  his  wisdom  and  power. 
Oh,  how  much  do  we  owe  to  Jesus  Christ ! 


244  THE  GRAVE.  [Lect.  i3 


The  islaiul. 


At  the  opening  of  every  grave  I  seem  to  hear 
-V  the  angel  say,  "  Come,  see  the  place  where  the 
Lord  lay/'     Let  me  show  you  what  Christ  has 
done  here  for  us. 

Suppose  we  lived  upon  a  great  island,  entirely 
surrounded  by  the  great  waters.  As  we  looked, 
we  could  see  nothing  but  the  w^aters  and  the  sky. 
We  had  no  ships  wath  which  to  go  away ;  and 
there  we  all  lived.  We  had  farms,  and  shops, 
and  stores,  and  things  just  as  we  now  have,  with 
no  difference,  except  we  were  on  an  island. 
One  thing  more.  Every  few  days,  there  came  a 
great  ship  to  our  island,  and  the  men  landed  and 
caught  our  neighbors  and  friends,  and  carried  them 
to  the  ship,  and  sailed  away,  out  of  sight ;  in  a 
few  days,  another  ship,  and  another  ;  and  so  con- 
tinually they  came,  and  carried  off  old  and  young, 
friends  and  neighbors,  and  we  knew  nothing 
what  became  of  them.  We  wept,  and  mourned, 
and  feared  for  ourselves,  but  we  knew  not  what 


«.KCT.  13.]  THE   GRAVE.  247 


The   a<l venturer.  Hrs  .-elurn. 

lo  do.  At  length,  we  see  a  man  rusn  suddenly 
down  to  the  shore  with  a  little  vessel,  which  ho 
has  built  himself  at  his  own  expense.  He  jumps 
into  it  alone,  and  spreads  his  little  sails,  and  goes 
off  on  the  great  ocean,  following  those  awful 
ships,  to  see  what  has  become  of  our  friends. 
We  watch  the  poor,  frail  boat  till  it  is  out  of 
sight,  wondering  if  he  will  ever  come  to  us  again. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  dark,  dreadful  ships  con- 
tmue  to  come  and  catch  away  our  friends.  We 
look  out,  and  wonder  what  has  become  of  our  dear 
friend  in  his  boat ;  for  he  told  us,  that,  if  he  found 
our  friends  who  had  been  carried  off,  he  would 
come  back  to  us,  with  a  white  flag  at  the  top  of 
his  mast.  At  length,  the  boat  comes  in  sight 
Yes,  there  she  comes,  and  the  white  flag  stream- 
in  o:  at  mast-head !  Yes,  he  has  found  our  friends ! 
The  crowds  all  rush  down  to  the  water- edge  to 
hear  his  tidings.  The  little  vessel  comes  to  the 
shore,  and  our  friend  leaps  out  on  the  land.    We  crv 


248  THE  GRAVE.  [LtCT.  Id 

His  tidings. 

out,  ''  What  news  ?  What  tidings  of  our  friends ' 
Have  jou  found  them  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  have  found  them." 

**  Are  they  alive  ?  " 

"Yes,  all  alive." 

"Are  they  happy?     What  are  they  doing?" 

"  Oh,  they  are  all  carried  to  a  distant  country, 
by  the  king's  ships.  When  they  get  there,  they 
are  put  to  a  kind  of  trial,  and  those  w^ho  can  bear 
that  trial  well,  are  made  honorable,  and  happy, 
and  have  most  delightful  homes,  and  would  not 
come  back  here  for  a  world.  While  those  who 
Lannot  bear  the  trial,  are  sent  away  to  the  deserts, 
and  are  wretched." 

"But  will  the  ships  come  any  more ?  " 

"  Yes,  they  will  come  again,  and  again,  and 
carry  you  all  off.  But  you  may  all  fit  yourselves 
lor  the  trial ;  and  then  you  will  be  very  happy,  and 
need  not  fear  to  go." 

''  B ut  what  ?   How  can  we  fit  ourselves  ?  What 


Ltci    13.]  THE   GRAVE.  249 

Ills  death.  Meaning  of  the  story. 

shall  we  do  ?  Oh,  tell  us  quickly,  for  the  ships 
may  be  here  before  we  are  ready." 

"1  cannot  tell  you  now.  1  am  dying  with 
fatigue.  Here,  do  you  see  this  book  which  1  take 
out  of  my  bosom  ?  This  tells  you  all  what  and 
how  to  do.  It  is  plain,  and  full  of  instruction. 
Obey  it,  and  you  will  all  be  happy.  See,  because 
I  could  do  no  other  way,  I  opened  my  own  veins, 
and  have  written  it  with  my  own  blood,  and  the 
blood  came  directly  from  my  heart  before  I  had 
finished  it.  Oh,  take  it,  as  the  last  and  best 
pledge  of  my  love." 

He  ceases  to  speak,  and,  worn  out  with  fatigue, 
he  drops  down  dead  on  the  spot!  Oh,  what  a 
friend  I — and  what  a  book  that  must  be  ! 

You  understand  me,  do  you  not  .^4  We  are  on 
the  island ;  and  diseases  are  the  dreadful  ships 
which  come  and  carry  us  off;  and  eternity  is  that 
distant  world  where  we  are  carried ;  and  Christ  is 
that  dear  friend  who  went  through  the  grave  intc 


250  THE  GRA  VE.  [Lect.  lis 


Meaning  of  the  story. 


eternity ;  and  the  Bible  is  the  book  which  he  has 
written  for  us,  to  prepare  us  for  our  trial  at  the 
great  judgment;  and  he  poured  out  his  soul  unto 
death  in  thus  preparing  us  to  go  into  eternity  and 
live  in  happiness.  What  a  friend  do  those  reject  and 
despise,  who  do  not  love  Jesus  Christ !  What  a 
book  do  those  neglect,  who  live  from  day  to  day 
without  reading  or  thinking  about  the  Bible  ! 

All  will  come  up  from  the  grave  at  once,  but 
not  all  to  share  alike.  Just  so  the  chief  butler 
and  the  chief  baker  were  both  let  out  of  the  pris- 
on at  the  same  time,  the  one  to  be  honored,  and 
the  other  to  be  hanged.  "  Marvel  not  at  this ; 
for  the  hour  is  coming  in  which  all  that  are  in 
their  graves  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall  come 
forth ;  they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the  resur- 
rection of  life  ;  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto 
the  resurrection  of  damnation."  The  grave  has 
been  called  the  dressing-chamber,  in  which  good 
people  put  on  their  beautiful  garments,  in  which 


>  ECT.  13.]  THE  GRAVE.  25  1 

The  Christian's  death. 

to  arise  and  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air.  But  to  the 
wicked  and  the  unholy,  it  is  the  prisoner's  cell,  in 
which  he  is  shut  up,  till  led  forth  to  execution. 

When  Christians  die,  the  angels  of  God  come 
and  lead  them  u[)  to  glory,  while  the  hody  rests 
and  is  purified  in  the  grave.  '*  There,"  say  they, 
"  is  Mount  Zion,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  the  innu- 
merable company  of  angels,  and  the  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect.  You  are  going  now,"  say  they, 
*'  to  the  Paradise  of  God,  wherein  you  shall  see  the 
Tree  of  Life,  and  eat  of  the  never-fading  fruits 
thereof;  and  when  you  come  there,  you  shall  have 
white  robes  given  you,  and  your  walk,  and  talk 
shall  be  every  day  with  the  King,  even  all  the  days 
of  eternity.  There  shall  you  not  see  again  such 
things  as  you  saw  when  you  were  in  the  lower 
region  upon  the  earth,  to  wit,  sorrow,  sickness, 
affliction,  and  death,  'for  the  former  things  have 
passed  away.'  You  are  going  now  to  Abraham, 
to  Isaac,  to  Jacob,  and  to  the  prophets,  men  thai 


252  THE  GRAVE.  [Lect.  1 


Angels'  conversation. 


God  hath  taken  away  from  the  evil  to  come,  and 
that  are  now  'resting  upon  their  beds,  each  one 
walking  in  his  righteousness.' 

"  What  must  we  do  in  the  holy  place  ?  " 
*'  You  must  there  receive  the  comforts  of  all 
your  toil,  and  have  joy  for  all  your  sorrow;  you 
must  reap  what  you  have  sown,  even  the  fruit  of 
all  your  prayers,  and  tears,  and  sufferings  for  the 
Khig,  by  the  way.  In  that  place,  you  must  wear 
crowns  of  gold,  and  enjoy  the  perpetual  sight  and 
vision  of  the  Holy  One ;  for  there  '  you  shall  see 
him  as  he  is.'  There,  also,  you  must  serve  him 
continually  with  praise,  with  shouting,  and 
thanksgiving,  whom  you  desired  to  serve  in  the 
world,  though  with  much  difficulty,  because  of 
the  infirmity  of  your  flesh.  There  your  eyes  shall 
be  delighted  with  seeing,  and  your  ears  with 
hearing  the  pleasant  voice  of  the  Almighty  One. 
There  you  shall  enjoy  your  friends  again,  that  are 
gone  thither  before  you ;  and  there  you  shall  with 


I.ECT.  13.]  THE  GRAVE.  253 


Beautiful  description  of  heaven. 


joy  receive  even  ev  ery  one  that  follows  into  the 
holy  places  after  you.  There,  also,  you  shall  be 
clothed  with  glory  and  majesty,  and  put  into  an 
equipage  fit  to  ride  out  with  the  King  of  Glory. 
When  he  shall  come  with  sound  of  trumpet  in  the 
clouds,  as  upon  the  wrings  of  the  wind,  you  shall 
come  with  him ;  and  when  he  shall  sit  upon  the 
throne  of  judgment,  you  shall  sit  by  him:  yea, 
and  w^hen  he  shall  pass  sentence  upon  all  the 
workers  of  iniquity,  let  them  be  angels  or  men, 
you  shall  also  have  a  voice  in  that  judgment, 
because  they  were  his  and  your  enemies.  And 
when  he  shall  again  return  to  the  city,  you  shall 
go  too,  with  sound  of  trumpet,  and  be  ever  with 
him." 

Such,  my  dear  children,  wdll  be  the  glory  ol 
ever}  one  who  obeys  God  and  loves  the  Redeem- 
er ;  and  such  your  glory,  when  you  come  up  from 
the  grave,  if  you  obey  God.  I  must  now  take  m} 
leave  of  you.     Many  of  you,  who  read  these  lines 


'Zoi  THE    GRAVE.  [Lect.  13 

Conclusion  of  the  Lecture. 

I  shs^i  never  know,  and  never  see,  till  the  great 
day  of  judgment.  Oh,  if  one  of  you  shall  be 
made  wise  unto  eternal  life  by  this  Lecture  1 
shall  have  more  joy  when  we  meet,  than  if  I  had 
been  able  to  give  you  a  kingdom.  Do  not  put  ofl 
religion  till  you  are  old.  You  may  die  within  a 
week.  Seek  the  Saviour  while  he  may  be  found. 
Call  upon  him  while  he  is  near.  Read  his  word. 
Obey  his  voice.  Commit  yourself,  each  of  you, 
to  his  hands.  Then  the  grave  will  only  be  a 
place  to  sleep  in,  while  God  prepares  for  you  a 
house  not  made  with  hands,  an  everlasting  man- 
sion of  glory — eternal  in  the  heavens.     Amen. 


255 


LECTURE    XIV. 

HEAVEN. 

Jm  the  heginning  God  created  the  heaven. — Genesis  1.  1. 

CoifTENTS. — Shape  of  the  earth.  Inside  of  the  world.  High  chimneys 
Cxeating  and  forming  things.  Light  first  made.  The  three  heavens.  First 
heaven.  Second  and  third  heavens.  Guiding  the  stars.  Idea  of  the  third 
heaven.  Beautiful  things.  What  a  throne  v^ill  be.  Society  of  heaven. 
How  they  look  in  heaven.  Why  the  beautiful  things  of  earth  not  to  be 
saved.    Our  friends.     Is  heaven  a  place  ? 

You  know,  children,  that  the  earth  is  round, 
like  an  orange.  If  you  were  to  make  a  hole 
through  an  orange,  and  then  measure  the  length 
of  that  hole,  jou  would  find  it  took  three  times  *~> 
that  length  to  reach  round  the  orange.  And 
were  a  hole  dug  straight  through  the  earth,  it 
would  take  three  times  the  length  of  that  hole 
to  reach  round  the  earth.  Suppose  such  a  hole 
dug  through  the  earth,  and  jou  could  walk 
through  it,  going  a  mile  every  day,  how  long  do 
vou  think  it  would  take  you  to  get  through  ?     It 


256  HEAVEN.  [Lect.  14 

Inside  of  tlie  world.  High  chimneys. 

would  take  you  ei^^ht  thousand  days,  which  is 
almost  twenty-two  years.  And  it  would  take 
you  over  sixty  years  to  walk  round  tlie  world, 
going  at  the  same  rate.  What  a  great  world  ' 
And  what  do  you  suppose  we  should  find  away 
down  in  the  earth?  I  suppose  rocks  and  stones, 
and  some  great  rivers,  and  a  great  deal  of  fire! 
A  great  deal  of  fire,  say  you  ?  Yes,  a  great  deal 
of  fire,  and  it  is  the  heaving  of  this  fire  which 
makes  earthquakes,  and  it  is  this  which  makes 
volcanoes.  Volcanoes  are  always  in  the  tops  of 
very  high  mountains,  which  seem  to  be  a  kind  of 
chimney,  through  which  these  great  fires  send 
out  their  belchings  and  flames.  One  of  these 
openings  which  I  call  chimneys,  on  the  top  of  a 
high  mountain  on  the  Sandwich  Islands,  is  ten 
miles  across.  What  a  chimney,  to  be  ten  miles 
across  its  top !  And  a  few  years  ago  it  sent  out 
a  river  of  fire  which  ran  down  the  moimtain  two 
miles  wide  and  forty  miles  long  before  it  reached 


Lect.  u.]  iil:a\  E.N.  257 

Creating  and  forming  things. 

the  sea,  when  it  plunged  into  the  great  oeean. 
What  fires,  then,  must  there  be  inside  of  the 
earth  !  And  how  easj  for  God  to  make  these 
iires  burn  up  the  world  at  tne  last  day,  as  he  has 

said  in  2  Peter  3,  10:  ''But  the  day  of  the 
Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in  the  night ;  in  the 
which  the  heavens  shall  pass  away  with  a  great 
noise,  and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent 
heat ;  the  earth  also,  and  the  works  that  are  there- 
in, shall  be  burned  up." 

Men  can  form  things,  but  they  cannot  create. 
They  can  dig  up  some  ore  and  make  it  into  the 
wheels  of  the  watch,  or  into  the  little  sj)rings 
which  keep  the  watch  agoing.^  They  can  take 
some  coarse,  heavy  sand,  into  which  you  cannot 
look  and  see  a  pin,  if  it  were  buried  ever  so  little 
way,  and  they  can  melt  this  sand  and  make  it 
into  the  pure  clear  glass  which  you  see  in  these 
windows,  and  throuoh  which  vou  can  see  almost 
as  well  as  i^  there  was  no  "lass  there.     Men  can 


258  HEAVEN.  [Lfxt.  H 

Light  made. 

dig  up  the  dififerent  kinds  of  earth  and  burn  them, 
and  make  them  into  the  beautiful  colors  with 
which  they  paint  the  faces  of  men,  the  trees,  the 
waters,  or  any  thing  they  please.  But,  though 
we  can  change  and  fashion  things,  and  make 
them  curious  and  useful,  we  cannot  create  any 
thing  out  of  nothing.  But  this  is  what  God  did 
when  he  created  worlds.  He  formed  them  out 
of  nothing.  He  made  the  light,  but  he  had  no 
sun  or  any  thing  else  to  help  him  do  it.  He  cre- 
ated the  world  and  the  heavens,  but  he  made 
them  out  of  nothing.  How  could  he  do  it  ?  He 
said,  "  Let  there  be  lightj  and  there  was  light." 
"He  spake,  and  it  was  done;  He  commanded, 
and  it  stood  fast."     (Psalm  33.  9.) 

1  am  new  going  to  talk  about  that  part  of  God's 
works  which  are  called  the  heavens.  *'  In  the 
beginning  God  created  the  heaven." 

Do  you  recollect  that  the  Bible  speaks  of  three 
heavens ?     In  Dan^.l  we  are  told  that  the  ange' 


Lect    14]  HEAVEN.  259 

The  three  heavens. 

came  from  God  or  the  third  heaven.  (Dan.  9.  21.) 
And  Paul  tells  us  (2  Cor.  12.  2)  that  he  was  once 
caught  up  to  the  third  heaven.  Can  I  make  you 
understand  what  it  means  when  the  Bible  speaks 
of  three  heavens.'^  Let  me  try.  You  know  the 
birds  can  fly  in  the  air,  and  the  clouds  sail  in  it, 
and  the  rain,  the  dews,  and  the  snows  come  down 
out  of  it.  Well,  this  air  is  called  the  heavens. 
Thus  we  read  of  the  dews  of  heaven,  the  rains 
of  heaven,  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  the  storms 
of  heaven.  This  is  the  first  heaven.  Then 
above  this,  far  above  all  this,  is  the  region  where 
the  sun  and  the  moon  and  the  stars  are.  This  is 
the  second  heaven.  "  The  heavens  declare  the 
glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  showeth  his 
handiwork."  (Psalm  19.  l.)4  And  then  beyond 
all  this  is  the  place  where  God  and  the  angels 
live ;  and  that  is  what  is  meant  by  the  third 
neaven,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  the  heaven 
of  heavens.  (Psalm  148.  4;  1  Kings  8.  27.) 
16 


260  HEAVEN.  [Lect.  14 

First  heaven.  Third  heaven.  Guiding  the  stars. 

Thus  the  first  heaven  is  close  to  us.  We 
breathe  its  air.  Our  birds  sing  while  in  it,  and 
our  clouds  drop  the  rain  out  of  it.  The  second 
heaven  contains  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  and 
worlds  which  we  see  with  the  glass  which  we  call 
the  telescope ;  but  we  cannot  get  to  it  or  visit  it. 
The  third  is  what  our  eye  cannot  see.  It  is  the 
place  to  which  Enoch,  who  walked  with  God, 
was  taken ;  where  Elijah  was  carried  in  the  cha- 
riot of  fire  (2  Kings  2.  71);  where  Christ  is 
gone  and  where  the  saints  who  arose  at  his  res- 
urrection have  gone  (Matt.  27.  52). 

How  wonderful  it  is  that  the  sun  and  moon 
and  stars  should  all  be  moving  and  shining,  and 
yet  never  meet  or  jar !  And  sometimes  the  fiery 
comet  comes  blazing  up  through  the  sky,  with  his 
long  trail  of  light ;  but  God  guides  him  on  his 
way,  and  he  never  runs  against  any  other  world. 
What  a  wonder  it  is  to  look  out  on  a  1  right  even- 
ing, and  see  all  the  stars  shining  out  in  their  glory. 


Lect.  U  !  HEAVEN.  261 

Idea  of  the  third  heaven. 

SO  many  worlds  !  No  wonder  David  sajs,  *' When 
I  consider  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers, 
the  moon  and  the  stars  which  thou  hast  ordained, 
what  is  man  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him,  and  the 
son  of  man  that  thou  visitest  him?"  (Psalm  8. 
3,  4.)  But  what  shall  I  say  of  the  third  heaven, 
where  God  resides?  Who  can  describe  it?  Who 
can  tell  how  it  looks  ?  You  know  what  I  mean 
when  I  compare  one  thing  with  another.  A  tree 
may  look  very  high,  but  if  you  were  on  the  top 
of  a  high  mountain  and  were  to  compare  that  tree 
to  the  mountain,  it  woald  look  like  a  small  bush. 
You  might  call  a  man  handsome,  but  if  you  were 
to  compare  him  with  the  angels  who,  John  says, 
were  in  the  tomb  of  Christ  (John  20.  12),  you 
would  not  think  him  handsome.  So  we  judge  of 
heaven  by  comparison.  We  compare  it  with  this 
world.  What  would  you  say  should  you  see  God 
creating  a  mantle  most  beautiful  and  large  enough 
to  cover  all  the  earth  ?  He  has  created  such  a 
mantle.     It  is  called  light. 


262  HEAVEN.  [Lect.  14 

Beautiful  things.  What  a  throne  will  be. 

You  have  seen  the  dewdrops  hang  on  the 
grass  and  the  flowers,  like  diamonds  in  the  morn- 
ing sun,  have  you  not?  You  have  seen  the  sweet 
flowers  all  painted  by  the  hand  of  God,  and  hung 
in  clusters  on  the  trees.  You  have  seen  the  gold 
and  purple  with  which  he  tinges  the  morning  and 
the  evening  sky,  now  turning  the  clouds  into  sil- 
ver and  gold.  And  how  brightly  and  beautifully 
do  the  stars  look  down  upon  us  as  they  hang  ove ' 
our  heads !  What  beautiful  creatures  fly  in  the 
air,  and  swim  in  the  sea,  and  what  gorgeous  shells 
he  on  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  !  But  this  is  only 
«tthe  footstool  of  God,  as  he  calls  it.  And  so  we 
can  have  an  idea  of  what  heaven  must  be,  by 
comparing  a  footstool  with  a  throne.  What  a 
light  must  that  be  which  comes  not  from  the  sun, 
nor  from  the  moon,  nor  from  the  candle,  but  di- 
rectly from  the  Father  of  lights?  If  in  this  world 
there  are  so  many  beautiful  things,  what  will  it 
be  there  ? 


Lkct.  14.i  IIE.Wtl.N.  263 

Society  of  heaven. 

*'  If  SO  much  loveliness  is  sent 
To  grace  our  earthly  home, 
How  beautiful !  how  beautiful 
Will  be  the  world  to  come  ! " 

YoQ  remember,  too,  that  Peter  tells  us  that  this 
world  is  to  be  burned  up,  to  be  destroyed.  It  is 
not  designed  to  be  any  thing  more  than  a  kind  ol 
bridge  over  which  men  walk  from  time  into  eter- 
nity ;  and  when  it  has  served  its  purpose,  the  old 
bridge  will  be  taken  down.  But  heaven  is  nevei 
to  change.  It  is  never  to  be  burned  up,  and  so 
God  has  made  it  beautiful  and  glorious.  It  is  the 
home  of  all  his  great  family, — the  family  mansion, 
— and  will  it  not  be  beautiful?  We  know  that  the 
tree  of  life  is  there,  and  we  know  that  the  river 
of  life,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and 
the  Lamb,  is  there.  The  place  is  called  the  Par 
adise  of  God,  because  that  garden  on  earth  was 
so  beautiful.  But  one  thing  which  makes  heaven 
so  delightful  a  place  is  the  people  who  live  there. 


264  HEAVEiN.  [Lect.  14 

How  they  look  in  heaven. 

The  angels  have  their  home  there.  Enoch  is 
there.  Moses  is  there,  and  his  face  shines  brighter 
than  when  he  came  down  from  the  mountain. 
(Exodus  34.  35.)  Job  is  there,  and  his  riches  will 
never  again  be  taken  from  him,  for  he  has  in 
heaven  a  better  and  an  enduring  substance.  Da- 
vid is  there,  with  a  harp  that  makes  new  mel- 
ody and  new  sweetness  for  ever.  What  a  change 
must  there  be  in  Lazarus,  who  once  lay  among 
the  dogs  at  the  gate  of  the  rich  man  !  What  a 
change  has  passed  over  Paul  since  he  lay  in  the 
dungeon, — an  old  man  about  to  be  put  to  death ! 
Heaven  is  the  city  to  which  all  the  paths  in 
which  good  men  have  walked  lead.  Is  it  any 
wonder  that  God  has  made  its  walls  of  precious 
stones,  its  gates  of  pearl,  and  its  streets  of  pure 
gold  ?  All  the  hopes,  desires,  and  prayers  and 
praises  of  the  holy  family  of  God  centre  and  ter- 
minate in  heaven,  and  it  is  to  be  beautiful  enough 
to  meet  the  expectations  of  all.     We  cannot,  to 


Lect.  14.)  HEAVEN.  26t 

Why  the  beautiful  things  of  earth  not  to  be  saved. 

be  sure,  tell  what  eye  hath  not  seen,  .nor  ear 
heard,  nor  the  heart  ever  thought  of  ;^but  we  can 
see  that  a  world  where  there  has  been  no  sin,  no 
clouds,  no  graves,  and  no  death,  and  which  is  in- 
tended to  be  the  best  of  all  God's  works,  must  be 
beautiful.  The  waters  which  come  leaping  down 
our  mountain-sides  we  call  sweet  and  clear ;  the 
air  which  rocks  our  trees  we  call  pure  ;  the;  flow- 
ers which  grow  in  our  gardens  we  call  beautiful ; 
the  fruits  which  hang  on  our  trees  we  call  pleas- 
ant ;  and  the  buildings  which  men  can  rear  we 
call  splendid  ;  but  God  thinks  he  can  spare  all 
these,  and  burn  them  up,  and  jet  have  enough 
left  in  heaven  to  make  all  his  friends  contented 
and  happj  for  ever!  Those  who  have  died  in  the 
Lord  are  there.  I  know  that  the  gray-headed 
old  man  is  there,  and  the  praying  mother  is  there, 
and  the  brother  who  loved  Christ  in  his  youth  is 
there,  and  the  sister  who  gave  her  heart  to  God 
in  her  eaily  days  is  there,  and  I  know  that  the 


266  HEAVEJN.  [Lkct.  U 

Our  friends.  Is  heaven  a  place  T 

little  child  is  there,  perfecting  the  praise  of  God. 
There  the  Christian  has  become  an  angel,  and 
there  the  babe  has  become  a  cherab,  and  yet  I 
cannot  describe  heaven.  1  cannot  begin  to  de- 
scribe that. 

Is  heaven  a  place,  or  a  kind  of  shadowy  land  ? 
I  reply,  it  is  a  place,  as  much  so  as  this  world  is  a 
place.  Enoch  is  there,  who  went  to  heaven  with- 
out dying.  So  is  Elijah,  who  was  carried  to 
heaven  in  a  chariot  of  fire.  So  is  Jesus  Christ, 
and  the  saints  who  arose  with  him  at  his  resur- 
rection. They  will  have  hands  and  feet  and  eyes, 
^as  we  now  have,  and  the  world  in  which  they 
live  must  be  a  real  place.  Over  it  will  hang  a 
fairer  sky,  purer  air,  more  beautiful  light,  and  all 
around  will  be  spread  new  and  beautiful  sights. 
Who  but  God  could  create  such  a  world  !  O,  it 
will  be  every  way  worthy  of  him  ! 

And  now,  my  dear  children,  will  you  not  desire 
to  live  so  as  to  go  to  this  heaven  when  you  leave 


L«CT.  14]  HEAVEN.  267 

Is  heaven  a  place? 

this  world  ?  Do  jou  wish  that  you  may  there 
meet  the  angels  and  the  great  and  the  good  who 
have  left  this  world  ?  Ah  !  if  you  may  but  do 
that,  you  will  find  all  the  heart  can  desire,  to  be 
your  portion  for  ever.  In  order  to  do  that,  you 
must  remember  now  your  Creator  in  the  days  c' 
your  youth.  Seek  the  Lord  while  he  may  be 
found  ;  call  upon  him  while  he  is  near.  Make 
God  your  Father  by  obeying  him,  loving  and 
trusting  in  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  and  then  this 
Father  will  take  you  to  his  beai  tiful  home,  to 
dwell  with  him  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 


TFC    END. 


LECTURES  TO  CHILDREN; 


FAMILIARLY 


ILLUSTRATING   IMPORTANT  TRUTH. 


SECOND    SERIES. 


By  REV.    JOHN    TODD,   D.D., 

AUTHOR  OF   THE   STUDENT'S   MANUAL,    TRUTH   MADE  SIMPLE,    ETC. 


(m^fti)  oviQinaf  I-Ilustvattons. 


NORTHAMPTON : 

BRIDGMAN     AND     GUILDS, 

NEAY  YORK: 
A.  D.  F.    RANDOLPU  &  CO. 

1878. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1858,  by 

Hopkins,  Bridgmax,  and  Company, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachiisetts. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


"  A  little  child  shall  lead  them." 

The  First  Scries  of  Lectures  to  Children  was  pub- 
lished iu  1834.  The  sale  from  that  time  has  been 
continuous,  and  the  book  to-day  is  as  much  a  favorite 
with  the  children  and  Christian  parents  as  it  ever  has 
been.  In  1852  a  new  Illustrated  Edition  was  issued, 
to  which  the  Author  appended  the  following  Preface. 
This  is  reprinted  here,  to  introduce  the  reader  of  the 
Second  Series  to  the  First,  which  is  still  in  print, 
having  now  reached  its  ticenty-Jirst  thousand. 

The  second  volume  is  entirely  new,  and  is  illus- 
trated with  original  engravings  by  Billings.  It  has 
been  pronounced,  by  distinguished  persons  to  whom 
the  manuscript  was  submitted,  equal  to  tlie  first  voh 
ume.     This  is  sufficient  commendation. 

Northampton,  September  1,  1858. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  ILLUSTRATED  EDITION 


OF 


THE   FIEST    SEEIES. 


This  little  work,  after  having  passed  tlirough  fifteen 
editions  in  this  country,  and  we  know  not  how  many 
in  England,  after  having  been  translated  into  French, 
German,  Greek,  and  many  more  languages,  printed  in 
raised  letters  for  the  blind,  and,  last  of  all,  having 
been  adopted  as  a  school-book  for  the  liberated  slaves 
at  Sierra  Leone,  is  now  sent  forth  in  a  new  dress,  with 
the  addition  of  new  Lectures.  A  whole  generation 
has  passed  from  childhood  into  manhood  since  these 
Lectures  were  first  printed  ;  and  though  it  claims  to 
be  only  a  very  humble  instrument  of  usefulness,  j^et 
the  author,  from  testimony  which  he  has  already  re- 
ceived from  many  and  various  quarters,  would  rather 
want  renown  and  fame  among  men,  than  to  be  with- 
out his  hope  that  the  mission  of  this  little  work  has 
been  one  of  good  to  the  lambs  of  Christ's  flock. 

PiTTSFiELD,  October  1,  1852. 


PREFACE. 


There  arc,  perhaps,  loftier  walks  than  tlie  paths 
in  which  the  feet  of  childhood  tread.  Bnt  when 
we  remember  how  earnestly  Moses  commanded  his 
people  to  instruct  tlieir  little  ones ;  how  beautifully 
David  spake  to  and  of  them ;  how  wisely  and  fully 
Solomon  taught  them  in  his  Proverbs ;  how  ten- 
derly Christ  embraced  them,  and  charged  his  minis- 
ters (in  charging  Peter)  to  feed  his  lambs ;  liow 
great  the  number  now  under  the  care  of  the  Church 
of  Christ  for  instruction  ;  and  liow  great  a  propor- 
tion of  all  who  are,  at  this  day,  converted  to  God, 
come  from  these  lambs, — we  can  hardly  overestimate 
the  importance  of  this  department  of  spiritual  labor. 

Many  years  ago,  I  made  the  attempt  to  speak  to 
children  by  the  pen.     The  effort  was  far  mo)"e  success- 


6 

Preface. 

ful  than  I  had  any  right  to  hope.  Whether  the 
harp  has  since  become  so  worn  by  time  that  its  notes 
Avill  be  no  longer  recognized,  will  be  determined  by 
the  issuing  of  this  little  volume.  Should  it,  like 
some  unpretending  bird,  light  upon  as  many  bright 
and  sunny  places,  and  with  its  notes  cheer  as  many 
listening  children,  as  the  First  Series  has,  I  can  hardly 
think  of  a  higher  earthly  recompense. 

We  read,  in  our  blessed  Bible,  of  a  temple  in  which 
tlie  very  snuffers  were  of  pure  gold ;  but  more  beau- 
tiful far  is  the  heart  of  the  child  in  which  the  Holy 
Ghost  dwells  as  his  temple.  To  this  end,  —  I  trust 
with  something  of  the  child's  humility,  —  I  send  forth 
this  humble  volume,  and  commend  it  to  the  blessing 
of  the  Great  Redeemer. 

PiTTSFiELD,   August  25,  1858. 


CONTENTS. 


LECTURE     I. 

THE   LOWLY  CRADLE. 

Ye  shall  find  the  Bahe,  wrapped  in  swaddling-clothes^  ly^^9  ^'^ 
a  manger.  —  Luke  ii.  12. 

Building  a  mill.  Wicked  island.  The  drowning  man.  Teaching  the  island- 
ers. Scholai's.  A  great  change.  Tlie  new  way.  Christ  foretold.  The 
pomp  of  an  ambassador.  How  he  was  expected.  Curious  notions. 
Night-watchers.  The  song  of  the  angels.  The  loivly  cradle.  The  first 
worship.  The  Babe  talked  about.  Carried  to  the  Temple.  The  perse- 
cuted Babe.  How  he  might  have  come.  First  reason  why  he  came 
thus.  Lessons  to  his  disciples.  No  golden  cloth.  Borrowed  not  from 
earth.  Second  reason,  —  the  poor.  Poor  clothing,  —  homes.  Third  rea- 
son, —  to  show  what  disgraces  men. 


LECTURE     II. 

THE   LOST   CHILD. 

And  when  they  had  fulfilled  .the  days,  as  they  returned,  the 
child  Jesus  tarried  behind  in  Jerusalem,  and  Joseph  and 
his  mother  knew  not  of  it.  But  they,  supposing  him  to  have 
been  in  the  company,  went  a  day's  journey  ;  and  they  sought 


8 

Contents. 

Mm  among  their  kinsfolk  and  acquaintance.  And  when 
they  found  him  not,  they  turned  hack  again  to  Jerusalem, 
seeVuKj  him.  —  Luke  ii.  43  —  45. 

The  top  of  the  hill.  Things  to  be  seen.  Old  Hermon.  The  child's  home. 
Travellers.  Things  worth  seeing.  Conversation.  Singing  songs.  Close 
of  the  day.  The  mother's  sorrow.  Words  of  caution.  A  mother's  love. 
How  it  lasts.  The  child  sought  for.  Morning  again.  Strangeness. 
The  city  opened.  The  wandering  mother.  First  lesson.  The  httle 
ants.  The  desolate  home.  Troubles.  Second  lesson.  Pondering  of  the 
heai't.  Who  take  care  of  cliildren.  Dying  mother.  Dying  child.  The 
dead  child.     Mary  m  tears. 


LECTURE     III. 

THE   CHILD   FOUND. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  after  three  days,  they  found  him  in 
the  Temple,  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors,  both  hearing 
them  and  asking  questioiis.  And  all  that  heard  him  were 
astonished  at  his  understanding  and  answers.  And  when 
they  saio  him,  they  were  amazed:  and  his  mother  said  unto 
Mm,  Son,  why  hast  thou  thus  decdt  with  us  ?  Behold,  thy 
father  and  I  have  sought  thee  sorrowing !  —  Luke  ii. 
40  -  48. 

Teaching  by  the  bud.  Training  of  the  horse.  A  gi-eat  fact.  The  little 
g:rl  and  the  Bible  Society.  Little  Alice.  Children  walking.  The  phy- 
sician. Surgeon.  Moses.  Luther.  Washington.  Our  story.  The 
search.  The  council-chamber.  The  voice!  The  child  found.  Gen- 
tle reproof.  God's  great  plan.  Acorn.  Bright  day.  Making  a  man. 
How  Christ  came.     Picture  of  Christ.    Bad  imitations.    About  his  Fa- 


Contents. 

ther's  business.  Learning  subjection.  Like  Jesus.  Sleeping  boy  and  his 
mother.  The  siclc  child.  How  we  came  to  have  the  story.  Whom  does 
God  honor?     Lost  children  found.     Heaven.     Tlie  joy  of  angels. 

LECTURE    lY. 

GATHERED    LILIES. 

My  beloved  is  gone  doivn  info  his  garden, to  gather 

lilies.  —  Song  of  Solomon  vi.  2. 

The  modest  flower,  —  how  used.  Ancient  gods.  Christ's  garden.  The 
cliild's  coffin.  Its  new  home.  The  flower  gathered.  A  beautiful  picture. 
What  are  Christ's  lilies.  First  method  of  gathering  them.  The  polar 
bear.  The  mother's  love.  Home  a  school.  The  orphan.  The  family  of 
the  dead  minister.  Christ's  school-house.  Second  method  of  gathering 
flowers.  The  missionary's  memory.  Sabbath-school  results.  Pastor. 
Lawyer.  Teachers.  Lake  on  the  mountain.  Third  method  of  gather- 
ing lilies.  The  child  and  the  wise  man.  The  blind  beggar.  Child's  faith. 
Child  in  the  woods.  Child's  religion  and  faith.  Voices  of  nature.  The 
dumb  oak.  Fourth  way  of  gathering  lilies.  The  mourning  lily.  The 
transplanted  lily.  Christ's  lilies.  Garden  of  heaven.  Lesson  learned. 
Christ  the  glorious  !  Christ's  visits.  Second  lesson  learned.  Parents. 
Teachers.     Children. 

LECTURE    V. 

THE    LITTLE    SHIP. 

And  he  spake  to  his  disciples,  that  a  small  ship  shoidd  ivait 
on  him.  —  Mark  iii.  9. 

A  curious  family.  Curious  birds.  The  owner.  A  strange  supposition. 
What  is  power  ?    Life  of  Christ.     The  birds  a  text.     How  the  birds  live. 


10 


Contents. 

The  lilies.  Christ's  servants.  Peter  and  the  fish.  The  fish  is  Christ's. 
The  httle  ship.  How  the  boat  was  made.  How  long  in  building  it. 
Christ  riding.  The  wild  ass.  A  quiet  servant.  The  young  choir.  A 
chair  provided.  A  mountain  a  servant.  Servants  always  ready.  The 
sick  wait  for  him.  The  river  Jordan.  Angels  are  servants.  Two 
times  of  need.  The  garden  of  agony.  The  angel's  aid.  Specimens  of 
heaven.  Conversation  of  heaven.  Spirits  wait  on  Christ.  A  tomb 
waiting  on  him.  A  wonder!  Many  servants.  A  great  Saviour.  Heaven 
waits  on  Christ.  Harvesters.  All  things  are  servients.  Servants  for  ever. 
The  little  child  called. 


LECTURE     VI. 

THE   GEEAT   KING. 

For  I  am  a  great  King,  saitJi  the  Lord  of  hosts.  —  Mal. 

i.  14. 

A  rock.  Tree.  What  makes  a  great  king  ?  First  thing.  Territory. 
Magnificence.  God  a  great  King.  How  large  his  kingdom  V  What  God 
governs.  The  song  of  all  creation.  Second  mark  of  greatness.  Frederick 
the  Great.  Earthly  king  weak.  The  breakfast  table.  How  many  to 
be  fed !  Different  creatures  hungry.  A  tree  and  its  leaves.  One  world ! 
Third  mark  of  greatness.  The  bee  and  the  squirrel.  The  echo  of  the 
lake.  Echoes  of  conscience.  The  commandments  echoed.  Xerxes  the 
king.  No  mistakes.  The  tree  on  the  island.  Fourth  mark  of  great- 
ness. God's  kingdom  old.  The  old  rocks.  God's  kingdom  always  new. 
First  inference.  Gold  lost.  The  dying  saint.  Second  inference.  Fault^ 
finding.  David's  troubles  and  song.  Who  can  contend  with  him  V  A 
scene  in  the  Alps.    The  mountain-slide.    The  ruin.     Child  and  feather. 


11 

Contents. 

LECTURE     yil. 

THE   BROKEN   STAFF   MENDED. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  S^c.  —  Luke  vii.  11-16. 

Poisonous  valley.  Looking  into  the  valley.  Young  men's  party.  The 
dying  man  rescued.  Remembrances.  We  dying.  The  morning  light. 
Walled  towns.  Christ  travelling.  The  funeral.  The  mother's  thoughts. 
Tlie  stranger's  voice.  The  dead  with  no  coffin.  The  staff  mended  ! 
Rivers  of  ice.  The  Alpenstock.  The  awful  fall  in  the  chasm.  Glaciers 
in  the  night.  A  night  scene.  The  twinkling  light.  The  lost  friend. 
Further  unfoldings.  Ingratitude.  The  child  restored.  Master  of  the 
grave.  The  dead  brought  back.  A  hard  question.  Reason  first,  for 
this  miracle.  For  after  ages.  Reason  second,  for  this  miracle.  The 
buried  babe.  Who  are  comforted  ?  The  funeral  at  sea.  The  sad 
crew  of  the  ship.  The  burial.  The  ocean-grave.  The  dead  to  awake. 
The  resurrection.  Reason  third,  for  this  miracle.  '  Spiritual  teachings. 
Why  Christ  left  the  earth.  The  great  design  of  Christ.  The  people's 
shout.    The  shout  of  all  his  family ! 

LECTURE     yill. 

THE    FLOWERS. 

Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field.  —  Matt.  vI.  28. 

Christ  in  tlie  streets.  Street  sermons.  Out-of-door  texts.  God's  crea- 
tions. Paintings  of  nature.  Spring's  doings.  A  dark  picture.  A  gar- 
den hung  up  in  the  air.  Fiv&i  tinny  to  think  of.  "  Here  we  are !  "  The 
flower's  speech.  The  rose  and  tlie  tulip.  The  second  thing  to  think 
of.     The  third  thing  to  be  thought  of.    Broken  teapot.     The  prisoner  and 


12 

Contents. 

the  wall-flower.  The  city  cellar.  Flowers  in  the  coffin.  How  to  improve 
flowers.  Kose-bud  on  the  tomb.  How  we  use  flowers.  Night-blooming 
Cereus.  Teachings  of  flowers.  A  sad  thought.  A  child's  doings.  The 
dying  boy.  Language  of  the  rose.  Stupidity  of  men.  Beauty  for  all. 
Voices  all  around  us.  Creation's  testimony.  Memories  of  the  old  man. 
Old  Homer.  The  three  gardens.  Bright  thoughts.  Grave  of  the  young 
girl.     Nothing  good  to  be  lost.     Preaching  of  the  flowers. 


LECTURE     IX. 

THE  ANGEL'S  ERRAND. 

Are  not  Jive  sparrows  sold  for  two  farthings,  and  not  one 
of  them  is  forgotten  before  God"^  Ye  are  of  more  value 
than  many  sparrows.  —  Luke  xii.  6,  7. 

How  to  make  a  great  river.  Wide  country  and  long  river.  American 
birds.  English  birds.  Sparrow  of  the  Bible.  The  dead  sparrow.  The 
dead  babe.  God  cares  for  all.  Value  of  a  soul.  Powers  of  the  spar- 
i-ow.  Cannot  think  or  plan.  Storm  among  mountains.  Description. 
Shadows.  Bright  visions.  Child  in  the  cradle.  "What  the  child  may 
become.  Fifty  years  of  life.  Child  and  sparrow  compared.  Sir  John 
Franklin.  What  a  man  may  become.  What  is  it  to  do  great  things  ? 
Many  miracles  daily.  Two  strangers  meeting.  Society  of  heaven.  The 
children  present.  What  they  will  be.  Christ's  care.  All  are  remeni' 
bered.  Little  fruit-tree.  What  to  live  hereafter.  Angels  on  the  star. 
Their  dialogue.  The  angel's  errand.  What  he  did  on  earth.  Watching 
the  child.  What  the  sower  has  done.  End  of  earth.  The  future  of  the 
good  man. 


13 

Contents. 

LECTURE     X. 

GOD    REJOICING. 

The  Lord  shall  rejoice  in  his  works.  —  Ps.  civ.  31. 

Much  in  little.  Child's  arithmetic.  New  watch.  The  flower.  Sea-shells. 
Why  so  beautiful?  Flower  of  the  mountain.  ]\IottIed  fish.  Mountain 
eagle.  The  horse  of  tlie  prairie,  (iod's  great  works.  The  river  of 
Egypt.     Bruce,  tlie  traveller.     The  head  of  the  Nile.      Perfected  works, 

—  rainbow,  —  early  morning,  —  ocean,  —  forest-trees.    The  cradle,  —  child, 

—  the  man,  —  old  man,  —  glorified  man.  The  mechanic  and  his  works. 
Christ's  work.  The  "  Morning  Star."  Her  mission.  Morning  stars  in 
heaven.  Works  over  which  Clirist  will  rejoice.  The  mother's  joy,  — ■ 
the  pastor's,  —  the  missionary's.     God's  joy  for  ever. 

LECTURE     XI. 

THE    OLDEST    RIDDLE. 

Out  of  the  eater  came  forth  meat,  and  oat  of  the  strong  came 
forth  sweetness.  —  Judges  xiv.  14. 

What  a  riddle  is.  Ancient  riddles.  Parables.  ^Esop's  fables.  Children's 
poems.  Men  of  the  Bible.  Samson,  —  the  man  who  was  a  whole  army. 
His  wedding.  The  young  lion.  The  lion  a  beehive.  A  wonder.  Doc- 
trine. The  babe.  Parents'  joy.  The  child's  will.  The  lame  one. 
The  little  cripple.  God's  lesson.  The  child's  will  again.  The  temper 
altered.  Text  illustrated.  Deaf  and  dumb  child.  Her  mission.  Sor- 
rows on  the  sea.  Causes  of  distress.  The  mountain  stage.  Young 
officer.  Maps  of  the  ocean.  The  great  results.  Cowper.  Beautiful 
eulogy  on  the  pulpit.  Hynuis.  John  Milton.  His  lament  over  his  blind- 
ness. Text  illustrated.  The  greatest  calamity  ever  known.  Effects  of 
sin.  Results  of  it.  What  it  teaches.  The  heaven  of  the  redeemed. 
What  Christ  will  do. 


^      14 

Contents. 

LECTURE     XII. 

THE    GREAT   CHANGE. 
We  shall  all  be  changed.  —  1  Cor.  xv.  51. 

The  boy's  wish.  Spring.  Little  girl's  wish.  Men  desire  changes.  Changes 
to  all.  The  old  man.  His  sad  experience.  No  sunshine.  The  bird's 
egg.  The  journey.  Departure.  The  return.  Two  great  changes. 
What  death  is.  Little  Emma  Clapp.  Conversation  with  her.  Emma's 
experience.  The  baptism.  Her  sick-room.  Her  anxieties.  Fearless. 
Perfected  praises.  Farewells.  Her  messages.  Shutting  of  the  lily.  Great 
change  in  Emma.  What  became  of  her?  Contrasts.  The  cofun-dress. 
The  last  change.  Christ's  coming.  The  trumpet's  voice.  Graves  opened. 
How  the  wicked  forgotten  in  death.  The  most  precious  thing  on  earth. 
The  blind  eyes  opened.  No  sickness.  Surgeon's  knife.  The  pond-lily. 
The  diamond.  Stephen's  burial.  The  eggs  of  the  silk-worm  and  the 
staves.     The  rag-picker.    Eternal  change. 


LECTUHES  TO  CHILDREN. 


LECTUEE    I. 

THE   LOWLY  CRADLE. 

Je  shall  find  the  Babe,  wrapped  in  swaddling-clothes,  lying  in 
a  manger.  —  Luke  ii.  12. 

Contents.  —  Building  a  mill.  Wicked  island.  The  drowning  man.  Teach- 
ing the  islanders.  Scholars.  A  great  change.  The  new  way.  Christ 
foretold.  The  pomp  of  an  ambassador.  How  he  was  expected.  Curious 
notions.  Niglit-watchers.  The  song  of  the  angels.  Tln.e,  lowly  cradle. 
The  first  worship.  The  Babe  talked  about.  Carried  to  the  Temple.  Tlie 
persecuted  Babe.  How  he  might  have  come.  First  reason  why  he  came 
thus.  Lessons  to  his  disciples.  No  golden  cloth.  Borrowed  not  from 
earth.  Second  reason,  —  the  poor.  Poor  clothing,  —  homes.  Third  rea- 
son, —  to  show  what  disgraces  men. 

Children,  you  know  that  if  you  were  to  try 
to  make  a  mill,  or  a  carriage,  you  would  go  to 
work  very  clifFerently  from  what  a  man  would ; 
and  you  know,  too,  that  while  the  man  might 
finish  his  mill  or  carriage,  you  could  not  finish 

2 


16  THE  LOWLY  CRADLE.  [Lect.  L 

Tlie  wicked  island. 

yours.  The  man  would  go  to  work  very  differ- 
ently from  the  child,  because  he  is  older  and 
wiser.  So  when  God  does  anything,  he  does  not 
do  it  as  men  do.     He  is  wiser. 

Suppose  there  was  a  large  island  far  off  in 
the  ocean,  full  of  people ;  and  suppose  these 
people  had  all  become  thieves,  so  as  to  rob  ships, 
and  kill  all  in  the  ships,  and  so  wicked  that 
they  were  liars,  and  drunkards,  and  were  just  as 
wicked  as  they  could  well  be !  Now  how  would 
men  deal  with  them '?  Why,  they  would  send 
great  war-ships  with  cannon  and  powder  and 
great  balls,  and  guns  and  swords  to  fight  them. 
The  great  ships  might  shoot  down  their  houses 
and  cities  and  kill  a  great  many  people;  and 
they  might  scare  them  and  make  them  promise 
to  do  better,  —  but  this  would  not  make  the 
wicked  people  feel  any  better ;  they  would  still 
want  to  be  thieves  and  to  rob  ships,  and  would 
do  it,  if  they  only  dared  to. 


Lect.  I.]  THE   LOWLY  CRADLE.  17 

The  drowning  man.  Teaching  the  islanders. 

Suppose,  now,  that  some  day,  just  at  night, 
these  people  on  the  island  should  find  a  man 
floated  on  their  shores,  almost  drowned,  —  for  in 
trying  to  get  to  them,  his  little  boat  had  struck 
upon  a  rock  and  broke  in  pieces.  They  pick  up 
the  poor  man,  and  find  that  he  has  no  watch,  no 
jewels,  and  no  money  Avhich  they  can  steal. 
He  tells  them  that  he  hears  that  they  are  wick- 
ed, and  he  has  come  to  teach  them  and  to  tell 
them  about  God,  and  heaven  and  hell,  and  their 
duty. 

They  laugh  at  him,  scorn  him,  refuse  to  give 
him  food  or  a  bed,  —  sometimes  they  stone  him, 
—  sometimes  tell  lies  about  him ;  but  the  stran- 
ger never  gets  out  of  temper.  He  bears  it  all 
meekly,  and  w^atches,  with  the  sick,  makes 
crutches  for  the  lame,  leads  the  blind,  and  takes 
the  very  poorest  children  and  teaches  them  in 
his  school.  When  not  in  school,  he  is  going 
about    doing    good,   carrying    medicines    to    the 


18  THE  LOWLY  CRADLE.  [Lect.  L 

Scholars.  A  great  change. 

sick,  comforting  the  sorrowful,  and  speaking 
words  of  kindness  to  all.  By  and  by  some  of 
his  scholars  catch  his  spirit  and  do  just  so ;  and 
thei/  go  and  open  nev\^  schools,  and  teach  the 
same  good  teaching. 

After  a  while,  some  of  the  islanders  get  very 
much  out  of  patience  to  see  these  good  things 
done,  and  so  they  get  together  and  kill  the 
stranger  who  had  tried  to  do  them  so  much  good. 
But  after  he  is  dead  and  gone,  it  is  found  that 
those  whom  he  instructed  have  his  same  spirit, 
and  thus  his  spirit  lives,  and  more  schools  are 
opened,  till  the  poor  islanders  are  all  taught, 
and  all  see  how  wrong  it  was  to  be  thieves  and 
murderers,  and  how  wrong  it  was  to  be  cruel, 
and  so  they  all  become  better  people.  They 
learn  to  work  and  earn  their  living,  and  they  are 
sorry  and  ashamed  when  they  think  how  they 
used  to  live  and  act. 

Now  this  poor  stranger  had  no  cannon  and  no 


Lect.  I.]  THE   LOWLY   CKADLE.  19 

The  new  way.  Christ  foretold. 

guns  nor  swords,  and  he  killed  none  of  the 
wicked  men,  and  yet  he  did  what  the  war-ship 
never  could  do :  he  made  them  feel  sorri/  for  their 
sins.  He  made  them  leave  off  being  thieves, 
because  they  feared  God,  and  not  because  they 
were  afraid  of  being  shot.  Which  of  these  two 
ways  do  these  children  think  was  the  best '? 

The  people  in  old  times  knew,  —  for  the 
Bible  had  told  them  so,  —  a  long  time  before 
Christ  came  to  this  w^orld,  that  he  would  come. 
Sometimes  the  Bible  called  him  a  "  Star,"  some- 
times a  "  Fountain,"  a  "  Sun,"  a  "  King,''  a 
"  Prince,"  and  sometimes  "  a  child,"  or  "  a  son." 
They  knew  that,  as  all  the  prophets  spoke  of 
him,  he  must  be  greater  than  any  other  prophet. 
They  knew^  he  was  to  do  some  ^reat  work,  —  for 
his  kingdom  was  to  be  an  everlasting  kingdom, 
and  all  kings  and  people  w^ere  to  bow  dow^n  to 
him  and  serve  him.  And  they  thought  that  one 
"who  was  thus  foretold,  and  who  was  to  do  so 
great  a  work,  must  be  a  great  character. 


20  THE   LOWLY   CRADLE.  [Lect.  L 


The  pomp  of  an  ambassador. 


And  how  did  they  thmk  he  would  cornel 
Why,  they  supposed  that  he  might  have  his 
choice  how  he  would  come,  and  that  he  would 
want  to  do  as  other  men  love  to  do.  Men  love 
pomp  and  notice.  An  ambassador  who  goes  to 
another  country  has  a  great  war-ship  go  on  pur- 
pose to  carry  him.  He  has  flags  on  the  ship,  and 
guns  are  fired,  and  it  seems  to  be  a  great  affair. 
We  know  that,  if  we  build  a  bridge,  we  must 
have  a  great  deal  of  timber  and  a  great  many 
men  to  hew  and  bore  and  put  it  together;  if 
we  make  a  house,  we  must  have  men  to  dig 
the  cellar,  masons  and  carpenters,  painters  and 
window-makers,  and  a  multitude  of  trades,  to 
do  it.  If  we  know  that  a  man  has  got  a  great 
weight  to  lift  or  a  great  work  to  do,  we  ex- 
pect to  see  a  very  strong  man.  If  we  know 
that  a  man  has  done  some  great  work,  or 
is  selected  to  do  some  great  work,  as  Wash- 
ington was,  we  expect  to  see  a  very  uncommon 


Lect.  I.]  THE  LOWLY  CRADLH,  2l 

How  Christ  was  expected.  Curious  notions. 

man.  So  the  people  thought  that  Christ  would 
come  in  a  very  new  way.  Some,  perhaps, 
thought  he  would  come  on  the  clouds  of  heaven, 
attended  by  angels,  as  he  will  come  at  the 
Judgment  Day.  Some,  perhaps,  thought  that  he 
would  come  with  chariots  and  horses  of  fire,  as 
Elijah  went  up  to  heaven.  Some  thought  that 
he  would  come  as  a  great  king,  with  an  army, 
and  live  in  a  palace,  and  have  officers  and  gold 
and  riches  and  fine  clothes.  Some  thought  he 
would  come  as  a  general,  and  make  war,  and 
conquer  armies,  and  thus  make  all  people  serve 
him.  They  knew  of  no  way  by  which  to  raise 
up  his  kingdom,  except  to  fight  and  make  people 
afraid  of  his  sword.  So  they  used  to  think  and 
talk  about  him  before  he  came  to  this  world. 
How  little  were  their  plans  like  God's  plans ! 

On  the  Avild  hills  of  Judaea  there  tvere  some 
poor  men  watching  over  their  flocks  of  sheep 
by  night.     They  built  little  watch-fires,  it  may 


22  THE  LOWLY  CRADLE.  [Lect.  L 

Night-watchers.  The  song  of  the  angels. 

be,  to  warm  themselves  and  to  scare  off  the 
wolves.  They  were  good  men,  and  knew,  most 
likely,  that  a  Saviour  was  coming  to  this  world. 
It  may  be  they  were  talking  about  it  and  pray- 
ing about  it  together  that  very  night,  when 
suddenly  they  saw  the  heavens  seem  to  open, 
and  out  of  them  flew  a  multitude  of  holy 
angels,  singing  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest, 
and  on  earth  peace  and  good-will  to  men." 
The  shepherds  were  afraid,  and  lay  flat  on  the 
ground  ;  but  the  angels  told  them  to  fear  not,  for 
a  Saviour  was  born,  —  Christ  the  Lord,  —  good 
tidings  of  great  joy  which  should  be  to  all 
people  !  Ha  !  the  Saviour  is  born  !  —  a  thing 
of  great  joy  to  all  people !  Well,  he  must  be  in 
some  palace,  —  where  they  have  oflicers  and 
guards,  and  silver  and  gold  in  great  plenty! 
But  no  !  they  must  go,  —  not  to  Jerusalem,  the 
great  city,  —  but  to  little  Bethlehem ;  not  to  the 
palace  of  royalty,  but  to  the  stable  !     And  there 


Lect.  I.]  THE  LOWLY   CRADLE.  23 

The  lowly  cradle.  The  first  worship. 

is  the  lowli/  cradle!  a  manger,  for  the  greatest 
King  and  the  most  wonderful  character  that 
ever  was  born.  There  were  no  silk  curtains,  no 
marble  floors,  no  beautiful  pillars,  no  great  ofl[i- 
cers  of  state,  no  long  train  of  servants,  no  treas- 
ures of  gold,  —  there  was  only  a  manger  with 
a  little  babe  in  it,  and  his  mother  bending  over 
him  !  The  shepherds  tell  their  story  of  having 
seen  the  angels ;  they  believe  this  is  the  Saviour 
of  the  world,  and  that  in  that  lowly  cradle  is  the 
"  Son  that  should  be  given,"  "  the  Child  that 
should  be  born,"  and  they  fall  down  and  wor- 
ship him.  How  they  gaze  at  the  manger!  at 
the  child  wrapt  in  swaddling-clothes  !  —  how  they 
weep  for  joy,  and  then  go  back  to  their  hill- 
side and  rekindle  their  fires,  and  give  thanks 
to  God ! 

Did  you  ever  think,  children,  how  many 
things  took  place  even  while  Christ  was  a  babe, 
which  would  draw  men   to   think  about  him  \ 


2^  THE   LOV.'LY   CRADLE.  [Lect.  I. 

Christ  talked  about.  Christ  carried  to  the  Temple. 

There  Avas  the  story  of  the  shej)herds,  which 
they  would  spread  far  and  wide  among  the 
people  in  the  country  ;  then  the  wise  men  came 
from  the  east,  guided  by  a  new  star,  and  the 
star  would  be  seen  and  talked  about  far  and 
near.  They  came  to  Jerusalem,  and  went  to  the 
palace  of  King  Herod  to  find  the  babe,  and  thus 
they  made  it  known  to  all  the  rulers  and  to 
all  the  city.  This  made  it  known  still  wider. 
Then,  when  his  parents  brought  the  babe  into 
the  Temple,  the  wonderful  speech  made  by  old 
Simeon  would  be  told  all  over  the  country. 
The  good  old  man  had  waited  and  lived  to  see 
this  babe,  and  he  was  now  ready  to  die !  Next 
we  have  a  king  trying  to  kill  the  babe  of  the 
lowly  cradle,  and  he  sent  soldiers  to  Bethlehem 
where  the  child  was,  and  slew  all  the  little  ones 
under  two  years  old,  so  as  to  be  sure  and  kill 
the  child  Jesus  ;  and  this  would  be  known  all 
over  the  land.     Then  Christ  —  the  little  child  — 


Lect.  l]  the  lowly  cradle.  25 

The  babe  persecuted.  How  he  might  have  come. 

was  carried  by  night  down  into  Egypt,  and  final- 
ly brought  back  again,  and  carried  to  Nazareth, 
a  little  place  so  small  and  so  poor,  they  thought 
the  king  would  not  look  for  him  there ! 

Thus  the  babe,  the  child  that  was  born, 
though  cradled  in  a  manger,  moved  heaven  and 
earth  ;  —  the  angels  to  sing  and  shout  for  joy  ; 
the  shepherds  to  hasten  and  worship  him ;  the 
wise  men  to  follow  the  new  star  till  it  came  and 
stood  over  where  the  young  child  was ;  the  king 
and  all  Jerusalem  to  be  moved  and  troubled ;  the 
children  to  be  slain  on  his  account ;  and  even 
old  age  to  feel  gladdened  and  joyful !  Was  there 
ever  such  a  child  I  was  there  ever  such  a  cradle  1 
He  might  have  come  the  child  of  a  king,  and 
have  been  rocked  in  a  golden  cradle,  had  he  seen 
fit.  He  might  have  had  the  nobles  of  an  empire 
to  welcome  him  ;  but  no  !  he  came  and  occupied 
the  lowly  cradle !  And  why  did  he  do  so  ]  I 
will  tell  you. 


§Q  THE  LOWLY   CRADLE.  [Lkct.  L 


Why  he  came  thus.  Lessons  to  his  disciples. 


1.    That  ive  might  all  look  at  his  real  character. 

Had  Christ  come  as  a  king,  or  a  general,  or  a 
rich  man,  men  Avoukl  have  looked  at  him  as  they 
do  at  a  beautifully  bound  book.     It  is  not  the 
reading,  the  real  value  of  the  book,  which  they 
notice,  but  the  gilding  and  the  ornaments.     So 
when  men  have  great  titles,    and  great  offices, 
and  great  wealth,  we  are  apt  to  feel  that  these 
things  are  very  desirable.     Had  Christ  come  as 
such  a  one,  we  should  all  have  tried  to  be  like 
him,  and  so  bis  followers  would  all  have  tried  to 
be  kings,  or  generals,  or  great  or  rich  men ;  but 
now,  he  who  is  most  like  Christ,  is  a  poor  man, 
a  humble  man,  and  has  no  worldly  glory.     AVe 
do  not  have  to  look  at  Christ  through  a  gold 
cloak,  nor  see  the  dazzle  of  epaulettes  or  swords  ; 
we  do  not  have  to  wait  till  he  has  put  off  the 
robes  of  state,  before  we  see  him.     There  is  noth- 
ing between  us  and  his  beautiful  character.     We 
do  not  have  to  ask  whether  it  is  the  pure  w^ater, 


Lect.  I.]  THE   LOWLY    CRADLE.  27 

No  golden  cloth.  Borrowed  not  from  earth. 

or  the  cup  out  of  which  we  are  drmking 
it,  that  makes  it  taste  so  good  !  How  little  did 
he  borrow  of  earth  in  order  to  make  men 
love  and  admire  him  !  We  do  not  know  wheth- 
er he  was  tall  or  short,  —  the  color  of  his 
hair,  the  dress  that  he  wore,  the  expression 
of  his  face ;  we  do  not  know  anything  about 
him,  except  that  he  came  here  and  was  found 
in  a  manger,  with  no  heart  but  that  of  Mary  to 
thrill  at  his  birth.  He  would  be  loved,  —  not 
for  what  he  had  of  earth,  not  for  the  glory  of  a 
throne,  the  honors  which  he  bestowed  on  others, 
—  but  loved  for  his  own  sake ;  for  what  he  was^ 
and  15,  and  ever  will  he.  He  did  not  invite 
men  to  his  service  by  any  rewards  which  earth 
can  bestow,  but  for  the  sake  of  something 
better.  Christ  wants  to  be  loved  for  his  own 
sake. 

2.  He  came  hy  the  way  of  the  lowly  cradle,  to 
show  the  poor  what  they  can  he  and  do. 


28  THE   LOWLY  CRADLE.  [Lect.  L 


Lessons  to  the  poor.  Feelings  of  the  poor. 

Tlie  parents  of  Christ  were  very  poor.  The 
pictures  all  make  Joseph  to  be  walking  beside 
Mary  on  an  ass  with  the  babe  in  her  arms,  as 
they  fled  to  go  down  into  Egypt ;  but  I  am  not 
sure  that  it  was  so.  I  do  not  know  but  that 
they  walked,  and  carried  the  infant  in  their  arms. 
They  were  poor,  —  and  when  they  brought  their 
little  son  into  the  Temple,  they  brought  the  poor 
man's  oflering,  —  a  pair  of  doves ;  thus  show- 
ing us  that  the  poor  man  may  bring  his  little 
child  to  God  and  dedicate  it  to  him,  —  and  that 
he  will  be  just  as  acceptable  as  the  man  who 
has  uncounted  gold.  Sometimes  poor  people 
say  they  cannot  go  and  worship  God  on  the 
Sabbath,  because  they  have  no  clothes ;  and 
poor  children  sometimes  say  that  they  cannot  go 
to  the  Sunday  School,  because  they  have  not 
clothes  good  enough !  This  is  not  the  right 
feeling.  This  is  not  as  Christ  did.  The  clothes 
in  which  he  was  wrapped  in  the  manger  were, 


Lect.  I.]  THE  LOWLY   CRADLE.  29 

Poor  clothing.  A  poor  home.  The  third  reason. 

perhaps,  such  old  pieces  of  cloth  as  were  left 
there ;  and  when  they  brought  him  to  the 
temple  to  dedicate  him  to  God,  he  was  not 
dressed  in  gay  clothing.  Nothing  of  this  was 
needed  to  recommend  him  to  God.  And  let 
me  assure  my  little  hearer,  that,  if  he  has  fine 
clothes  and  a  beautiful  home,  and  nobody  trying 
to  kill  him,  he  is  better  off  than  Christ  was, 
but  he  has  no  *  reason  to  feel  proud.  If  he  is 
poor,  and  has  poor  clothing  and  lives  in  a  poor 
home,  let  him  remember  that  Christ  did  just  so, 
—  and  yet  his  parents  gave  him  to  God,  and 
from  his  very  birth  they  held  him  as  something 
consecrated  to  God. 

3.  Christ  came  to  us  hy  the  way  of  the  lowly 
cradle^  to  shoiv  us  that  we  need  he  ashamed  of 
nothing  hut  sin. 

Christ  was  a  poor  man's  child  ;  and  he  was 
not  ashamed  of  that.  His  father,  Joseph,  was 
a  mechanic,  and  that  was  no  disgrace.     He  was 


80  THE  LOWLY  CRADLE.  [Lect.  L 

Lowliness  is  not  disgraceful.  "WTiat  is  disgracefuL 

born  in  a  stable  and  cradled  in  a  manger,  and 
that  was  no  disgrace.  He  was  persecuted  even 
in  infancy,  —  driven  away  from  home,  had  to 
flee  out  of  his  country,  was  hunted  by  the  king 
and  his  soldiers,  and  that  was  no  disgrace  to 
him.  There  is  no  disgrace  in  poverty,  or  trou- 
ble, or  in  anything  but  sin.  "  He  knew  no  sin." 
How  differently  do  we  sometimes  feel !  That  it 
is  a  disgrace  to  be  poor !  —  to  have  no  home, 
—  no  friends !  It  may  be,  if  it  was  sin  that 
made  us  poor,  if  it  was  sin  that  made  us  lose 
our  friends ;  we  ought  to  feel  ashamed  of  sin 
and  crime  ;  but  not  of  anything  else.  Those 
who  will  be  clothed  with  shame  and  everlast- 
ing contempt  are  the  wicked.  Those  of  whom 
Christ  will  be  ashamed  are  the  wicked.  Those 
who  will  be  shut  out  from  his  presence  and 
glory  for  ever  are  those  who  are  wicked.  Now, 
my  little  children,  you  may  know  whether  you 
ought   to   feel  ashamed;    if  you  use  bad,  low, 


Lect.  I.]  THE   LOWLY   CRADLE.  31 

What  disgraces  children. 

wicked  words ;  if  you  are  rude,  unkind,  cruel, 
and  headstrong;  if  you  are  proud,  vain,  over- 
bearing ;  if  you  are  selfish,  covetous,  envious 
or  jealous  of  others ;  if  you  are  profane  or 
vulgar  in  manners  or  behavior ;  if  you  are 
unkind  to  your  brothers  or  sisters,  or  diso- 
bedient to  your  parents,  —  then  you  have  some- 
thing to  be  ashamed  of!  Sin,  in  every  shape 
and  degree,  is  shameful ;  and  this  is  the  only 
thing  that  is.  Children,  will  you  not  learn  a 
lesson  from  the  lowly  cradle  f 


^ 

^ 


LECTURE    II. 

THE   LOST   CHILD. 

And  when  they  had  fulfilled  the  days,  as  they  returned,  the 
child  Jesus  tarried  behind  in  Jerusalem,  and  Joseph  and 
his  mother  hiew  not  of  it.  But  they,  supposing  him  to  have 
heen  in  the  company,  went  a  day's  journey  ;  and  they  sought 
him  among  their  hinsfolk  and  acquaintance.  And  when 
they  found  him,  not,  they  turned  hack  again  to  Jerusalem, 
seeking  him.  —  Luke  ii.  43  —  45. 

Contents.  —  The  top  of  the  hill.  Things  to  be  seen.  Old  Hermon.  The 
child's  home.  Travellers.  Things  worth  seeing.  Conversation.  Singing 
songs.  Close  of  the  day.  The  mother's  son*ow.  Words  of  caution.  A 
mother's  love.  How  it  lasts.  The  child  sought  for.  Morning  again. 
Strangeness.  The  city  opened.  The  wandering  mother.  First  lesson. 
The  little  ants.  The  desolate  home.  Troubles.  Second  lesson.  Ponder- 
ing of  the  heart.  Who  take  care  of  children.  Dying  mother.  Dying 
child.     The  dead  child.    Mary  in  tears. 

Some  sixty  or  seventy  miles  north  of  Jeru- 
salem is  a  long,  beautiful  hill.  Before  the 
hill  is  a  small,  but  quiet  and  most  charming 
valley.     Let  us  go  up  on  the  top  of  that  hill. 


Lect.  II.]  THE  LOST  CHILD.  33 

The  top  of  the  hill.  Things  to  be  seen. 

Now,  children,  let  us  look  around  us.  On 
the  side  of  the  hill  is  a  village,  and  a  little 
one  side  of  that,  a  fountain  of  water  gushes 
out,  and  drops  into  a  marble  basin.  To  this 
fountain  all  the  women  of  the  village  come 
to  get  water.  Let  us  look  off  beyond  the 
village.  There,  yonder,  between  the  mountains, 
and  beyond  the  little  valley  which  lies  just 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  on  the  left  hand,  is 
a  great,  beautiful  plain,  —  the  most  beautiful  in 
all  the  land.  It  used  to  be  called  the  Plain 
of  Esdraelon.  That  round-topped  mountain  at 
the  left  is  Mount  Tabor ;  and  there,  over  the 
hills,  you  can  just  see  the  heads  of  Little  Her- 
mon  and  Gilboa  !  And  that  beautiful  mountain, 
stretching  along  till  it  dips  its  feet  in  yonder 
distant  waters,  is  Mount  Carmel.  Look  now 
directly  west,  and  those  waters  so  brightly 
gleaming  in  the  sun  are  the  Mediterranean 
Sea.     You  can  see  them  on  both  the  riffht  and 


34  THE  LOST  CHILD.  [Lect.  H. 


Hermon.  The  child's  home. 

left  of  Mount  Carmel.  On  the  north  is  another 
beatitiful  plam ;  and  away  on,  on  beyond,  seems 
to  be  a  sea  of  mountains,  with  one  mountain 
rising  up  higher  than  all,  with  his  head  covered 
with  ice.  That  is  old  Hermon !  "What  a 
beautiful  prospect  from  this  hill!  Where  are 
we^ 

This  hill  is  the  hill  of  Nazareth,  and  that 
villaofe  on  its  west  side  is  Nazareth !  Here 
once  lived  a  little  boy.  I  suppose  he  often 
drank  at  that  running  fountain.  I  suppose  his 
feet  often  trod  this  hill.  I  suppose  his  eyes 
often  gazed  upon  these  hills  and  mountains  and 
valleys.     His  name  was  Jesus  ! 

His  parents  lived  in  that  village,  and  they 
were  poor,  but  humble  and  pious  people.  Every 
year  they  all  went  up  to  the  great  city  Jeru- 
salem, where  the  Temple  was,  that  they  might 
worship  God  according  as  he  had  commanded. 
On  the  return  of  the  feast  of  the  Passover,  — 


iECT.  II.]  THE  LOST   CHILD.  35 


Travellers.  Things  worth  seeing. 

SO  called,  because,  when  the  angel  of  God 
killed  so  many  of  the  Egyptians,  (Exodus  xii. 
27,)  he  passed  over  the  Israelites  and  did 
not  kill  one  of  them,  —  this  family  all  went 
up  to  Jerusalem.  When  the  feast  was  over, 
they,  and  all  the  villagers  who  had  gone  with 
them,  set  out  to  return  home  to  Nazareth. 
They  probably  went  on  foot,  —  unless  it  was 
some  who  were  too  old  or  too  feeble,  and  they 
would  ride  on  asses.  They  had  no  horses  and 
no  carriages  in  those  days.  As  the  large  com- 
pany wound  along  in  the  foot-path,  among  the 
hills  where  the  vineyards  were  hanging  their 
ripe  fruits,  where  the  flowers  were  breathing 
out  their  sweetness,  where  the  fields  were  wav- 
ing with  grain,  where  the  beautiful  oleander 
gleamed  with  its  load  of  richest  blossoms,  and 
the  rose  of  Sharon  tempted  the  children  to  stop 
and  pluck  them,  —  where  the  dove  sat  on  the 
boughs  of  the   trees  that  hung  over  the  path 


36  THE   LOST   CHILD.  [Lect.  IL 

Conversation.  Singing  songs. 

and  poured  out  her  low  song,  —  O,  how  glad 
were  the  hearts  of  these  people !  How  they 
talked  of  the  city  of  David  where  they  had 
been,  of  the  glorious  Temple  in  which  they 
had  worshipped,  of  the  High-Priest  in  his  rich 
garments,  of  the  priests  in  their  robes  of  white, 
of  the  music  which  made  the  courts  ring  with 
joy,  trumpet  and  cymbal  and  harp,  of  the  good 
people  whom  they  had  seen,  of  the  old  friends 
whom  they  had  met,  of  the  loved  ones  who 
went  up  with  them  the  last  year,  but  are  dead 
now !  How  they  spoke  of  the  children  whose 
silvery  voices  united  in  the  songs  of  Zion,  of 
the  inquiries  they  had  made  about  a  Saviour 
who  was  expected  in  these  years !  And  then, 
some  of  them  sang  over  again  the  songs  they 
had  heard  in  the  Temple,  old  men  and  old 
women  and  maidens  and  children  all  uniting  to 
sing  as  they  went  towards  their  home !  It  is 
now  almost  night,  and  the  red  sun  begins  to 


Lect.  II.]  THE  LOST  CHILD.  37 

Close  of  day.  A  fearful  cry. 

go  behind  the  hills,  and  to  touch  the  mountain- 
tops  with  his  light,  and  the  western  clouds 
look  bright,  as  if  covered  with  dust  shaken 
from  angels'  wings.  The  company  have  all 
stopped  under  a  cluster  of  tall  palm-trees, 
where  there  is  a  spring  of  water,  and  are  getting 
ready  for  their  evening  meal.  Hark !  what 
cry  is  that!  ''A  child  lost!''  "A  child  lost!'' 
And  there  comes  the  mother,  passing  from 
neighbor  to  neighbor,  and  from  group  to  group, 
inquiring  most  earnestly  for  her  lost  child ! 
She  supposed  he  must  be  among  some  of  her 
relatives ;  but  no !  they  have  not  seen  him ! 
How  pale  she  looks  !  They  try  to  comfort  her ! 
They  want  her  to  eat !  Eat !  she  has  no  desire 
for  food !  Her  child  is  lost !  Has  he  been 
carried  off  by  wandering  robbers  ?  Has  he 
fallen  by  the  way,  and  been  left  sick  and  alone 
by  the  wayside  ]  Has  he  gone  in  an  unknown 
path   through   mistake  1     Poor  mother  !     None 


38  THE  LOST  CHILD.  [Lect.  H. 

The  mother's  sorrow.  Words  of  caution. 

can  tell  thy  sorrows !  None  can  know  the 
thoughts  of  thy  heart !  She  must  turn  back  ! 
She  is  already  weary  with  the  long  day's  walk, 
but  as  the  moon  rises  over  the  hills,  her  shadow 
is  seen  as  she  hurries  back,  and  every  now 
and  then  stops  and  calls  for  her  child.  The 
hills  echo  back  the  sweet  name  of  "  Jesus ! " 
"  Jesus !  "  —  but  that  is  all !  Sometimes  she 
thinks  she  sees  his  form  resting  under  a  tree,  — 
but  it  is  only  a  dark  shadow.  Sometimes 
she  listens  and  thinks  she  hears  his  voice,  — 
but  it  is  the  distant  call  of  the  shepherd. 
All  night  long  the  mother  keeps  on  her  way,  — 
distressed  for  her  lost  child ! 

Children,  you  sometimes,  it  may  be,  feel 
unkind  towards  your  mother.  It  may  be  that 
you  speak  of  her  infirmities  or  faults  to  others, 
that  you  laugh  at  her  weaknesses,  or  that  you  are 
unkind  and  disrespectful  in  your  language  to  her ! 
O,  let  me  say  to  you,  that  you  have  no  friend, 


Lect.  II.]  THE  LOST   CHILD.  39 

A  mother's  love.  How  it  lasts. 

and  you  never  can  have  in  this  world,  a  friend 
like  her !  Should  you  die  while  a  child,  you 
will  never  be  forgotten  by  your  mother.  She 
will  remember  how  you  looked,  the  tones  of 
your  voice,  and  long  after  others  have  done 
mentioning  your  name,  she  will  think  of  it,  and 
in  the  silence  and  darkness  of  night  she  will 
think  of  her  child,  and  weep  that  he  is  dead. 
And  should  you  live  to  grow  up,  there  never 
will  be  a  day,  if  there  is  an  hour,  when  she  does 
not  remember  you,  and  wish  she  could  do  some- 
thing for  you.  If  you  are  in  sickness  or  in 
trouble,  she  will  ever  be  ready  to  come  to 
you  and  try  to  do  for  you.  Others  may  for- 
get you,  other  hearts  may  grow  cold  towards 
you,  others  may  blame  you ;  but  she  —  your 
mother  —  will  always  take  your  part  and  try 
to  defend  you.  Even  should  she  live  to  be 
old  and  blind  or  feeble,  she  will  have  her  heart 
warm    towards   her  child.     She  will  forget  all 


40  ,  THE   LOST   CHILD.  [Lect.  II. 

The  child  sought  for. 

that  you  have  said  that  wounded  her  feelings, 
all  that  you  have  done  that  was  wrong,  and  till 
the  grave  closes  over  her,  she  will  have  a 
mother's  heart  towards  you  ! 

The  time  that  healeth  all 
May  take  the  sting  from  pain  ; 
But  a  joy  fades  out  when  childhood  dies 
She  will  never  know  again ! 

God  comfort  thee,  beloved ! 
No  darker  hour  is  given, 
Than  that  which  yields  your  children  up, 
E'en  though  it  be  to  Heaven  ! 

The  child  was  lost !  And  Mary,  his  mother, 
weary  and  ready  to  sink  to  the  ground,  kept  on 
towards  Jerusalem.  What  was  it  to  her  that 
the  soft  moonlight  lay  on  the  hills,  and  shadows 
and  light  mingled  in  the  valleys  ^,  What  was  it 
to  her  that  the  vine  gave  out  its  fragrant  smell, 
and  the  blossoms  of  the  fig-tree  and  the  orange- 
tree    filled   all   the   air   with    their   sweetness] 


Lect.  II.]  THE  LOST   CHILD.  41 

Morning  again.  Strangeness. 

The  song  of  the  nightingale  would  have  sound- 
ed like  the  wail  of  her  lost  child !  When  the 
morning  light  was  again  spread  over  the  hills, 
she  had  retraced  her  weary  steps  so  far  that 
she  could  again  see  the  towers  and  pinnacles  of 
the  great  Temple  in  Jerusalem.  The  morning 
sun  seemed  to  bless  them,  as  if  he  threw  a  silver 
veil  over  them  all.  But  how  different  things 
look  when  we  are  sad  from  what  they  do  when 
we  are  happy !  How  different  does  silver  look 
in  the  cofRn-plate  from  what  it  does  in  the 
shape  of  a  cup  !  When  she  saw  those  towers  a 
few  days  since,  her  heart  leaped  for  joy ;  for 
she  was  then  going  up  to  worship  with  her 
child.  Now  he  was  lost!  How  could  it  be'? 
She  had  never  known  him  to  get  into  bad 
company ;  she  had  never  known  him  to  do 
wrong,  to  play  truant,  or  to  do  anything  to 
pain  his  mother's  heart.  That  made  it  the 
more  strange !     If  he  had  been   undutiful,  or 


42  THE  LOST  CHILD.  [Lect.  H. 

City  opened.  The  wandering  mother. 

wicked,  she  might  have  thought  he  had  run 
away.  But  he  had  always  loved  his  poor  home 
at  Nazareth,  and  had  never  been  undutiful! 
How  strange  that  he  should  be  lost ! 

When  the  gates  of  the  city  were  opened, 
the  mother  rushes  into  the  streets.  She  goes  to 
the  house  where  they  had  stopped  during  the 
Passover.  They  have  not  seen  him !  She  goes 
to  the  few  acquaintances  that  she  had  in  the 
city,  but  they  have  not  seen  him.  She  goes 
to  the  market,  and  then  to  the  pools,  and 
inquires  for  her  lost  son ;  but  nobody  can 
tell  her  anything  about  him  !  The  watchmen 
meet  her  in  the  streets  at  night,  and  are  moved 
at  her  sorrows ;  the  sick  man  in  his  chamber 
hears  her  sad  calls,  and  lifts  up  his  head  and 
inquires  who  it  is !  Through  every  street  in 
the  city  for  three  days  does  the  poor  moth- 
er wander,  seeking  her  lost  child !  Has  he 
been    stolen    and   carried    off  to    some    distant 


Lect.  n.]  THE  LOST   CHILD.  43 

What  the  first  lesson.  The  little  ants. 

land  and  sold,  like  Joseph  of  old?  Has  he 
been  murdered  in  the  streets,  and  secretly  buried 
out  of  sight  ]  Is  he  in  some  dark  corner,  lying 
upon  the  bed  of  pain,  vainly  asking  for  his 
mother  1  Ah,  Mary!  thou  hast  lost  thy  child, 
and  thou  art  teaching  these  children  several 
things  ;  such  as,  — 

1.  That  our  troubles  come  upon  us  in  ways 
not  expected. 

When  in  the  bright  morning  Joseph  and 
Mary  set  out  to  return  to  their  home,  they 
expected  that  the  day  would  be  hot,  and  the 
way  would  be  long,  and  the  fatigue  Avould 
be  great,  but  they  did  not  expect  that  at  night 
their  child  would  be  lost,  and  all  wrapped  in 
mystery  and  sorrow !  We  are  like  the  little 
ants  that  set  out  to  run  in  their  little  paths,  but 
if  an  acorn  drops  in  that  path,  or  a  stick  drops 
across  it,  they  are  amazed,  and  stop,  and  turn 
back,   or   work    their   way   around   it.     I  have 


44  THE   LOST   CHILD.  LLect.  II. 


The  desolate  home.  Troubles. 


known  many  a  child  setting  the  heart  upon 
a  ride  or  a  walk  into  the  fields,  when  suddenly 
a  storm,  a  shower,  or  the  coming  of  friends 
spoiled  all.  I  have  sometimes  seen  a  family 
of  children  so  happy  in  their  sweet  home, 
with  their  swing,  their  wagons,  their  doves  and 
chickens,  their  dolls  and  play-houses,  that  it 
seemed  as  if  they  must  always  be  so  happy, 
with  their  parents  and  with  one  another !  But 
in  a  few  weeks  I  have  passed  that  beautiful 
house,  and  it  was  all  shut  up,  —  the  doors 
and  the  windows  all  closed  !  The  parents  were 
in  the  grave,  and  the  poor  children  scattered 
from  one  another,  never  to  live  together  again ! 
Ah!  the  briers  that  tear  our  skin,  and  the 
nails  that  we  tread  on  and  wound  our  feet, 
are  not  in  the  places  that  we  looked  for!  It 
seems  as  if  we  only  knew  when  and  how  our 
troubles  would  come,  that  we  could  get  ready  to 
meet  them.     So  we  could.     But  our  Heavenly 


Lkct.  II.]  THE   LOST   CHILD.  45 


Second  lesson. 


Father  does  not  intend  to  let  us  know  this. 
It  is  a  part  of  our  trouble  to  have  it  come  when 
and  how  we  did  not  expect  it.  He  does  this  to 
make  us  feel  that  w^e  cannot  guard  ourselves,  — 
cannot  take  care  of  ourselves.  The  little  child 
takes  hold  of  his  father's  hand  to  pass  through 
a  long  piece  of  woods,  —  he  does  not  know 
when  and  where  he  will  meet  with  logs  and 
stones  to  be  climbed  over,  ditches  and  holes  into 
which  he  may  fall,  and  serpents  w^hich  may 
bite  him ;  but  his  father's  hand  holds  him 
and  guides  him,  and  Avill  not  let  the  child 
receive  hurt.  Mary  is  sorrowing  and  seeking 
her  lost  child  !  —  and  she  is  thus  teaching  these 
dear  children  before  me,  — 

2.  That  children  need  some  one  greater  than 
parents  to  take  care  of  them. 

Perhaps  no  mother  ever  loved  her  child  more 
than  Mary  loved  the  child  Jesus.  She  had 
great  expectations  concerning  him.     The  angel 


46  THE  LOST   CHILD.  [Lect.  IL 


Ponderinors  of  the  heart.  Who  can  take  care  of  children. 


Gabriel  gave  him  his  name  before  he  was  born. 
So  did  Isaiah  call  him  "  Immanuel,"  —  God  with 
us.  From  the  visit  of  the  shepherds  and  the 
wise  men,  and  the  prophecy  of  old  Simeon,  and 
the  thanksgiving  of  the  aged  Anna,  she  hoped 
great  things.  But  now  her  child  of  so  many 
hopes  was  lost !  He  might  be  sick,  he  might 
be  starving,  he  might  be  dying,  he  might  never 
be  found  again !     Who  can  take  care  of  him  ! 

And  who  can  take  care  of  little  children? 
Their  parents  cannot  keep  them  in  health, — 
cannot  restore  them  when  sick,  cannot  keep 
them  when  death  calls  for  them  !  Who  can  ] 
They  need  some  one  w^ho  can  keep  them  and 
guide  them  at  home  and  abroad,  on  the  land 
and  on  the  water.  And  God  is  that  greater 
Friend,  —  greater  than  father  or  mother,  and 
greater  than  the  greatest  man  that  ever  lived. 
The  child  may  be  lost,  but  God  knows  where 
he  is.     The  child  may  be  sick,  but  he  can  heal 


Lkct.  li.l  THE   LOST   CHILD.  4T 

Mothers  dying.  The  dying  child. 

him.  The  child  may  die  and  be  taken  away 
from  the  arms  of  his  mother,  and  go  into 
that  world  where  she  cannot  follow  him,  — 
but  he  will  take  care  of  him !  How  I  love  to 
feel  that  every  child  now  in  these  seats  is  under 
the  care  of  One,  who  can  do  all  things,  and  who 
will  never  forget  what  is  committed  to  his 
hands !  Sometimes  I  have  been  called  to  see 
the  mother  lie  on  the  death-bed,  and  leave  her 
dear  little  children  behind  her,  without  any 
mother  to  take  care  of  her  babes ;  and  I  notice 
that  she  always  commits  them  to  our  Heavenly 
Father,  who  is  faithful  to  his  promises.  She 
must  die,  but  she  feels  sure  that  God  will 
live,  and  that  he  will  take  care  of  her  little 
ones.  And  sometimes  I  have  seen  the  mother 
hang  over  the  little  bed  on  which  her  dear 
child  lay  dying,  or  bending  over  the  coffin 
in  which  its  beautiful  little  body  lay,  —  and  I 
have    seen    that,  amid   all   her   tears,  she  could 

4 


48  THE   LOST   CHILD.  [Lect.  IL 

The  dead  child.  Mary  in  tears. 

feel  that  her  babe  was  safe.  O,  there  is  One 
who  is  so  great  that  nothing  can  be  lost  from 
his  sight,  nothing  so  far  off  that  he  cannot 
reach  it,  nothing  so  lowly  that  he  cannot  raise 
it  up.  The  little  coffins  in  which  we  place  the 
precious  dust  of  little  children  will  soon  decay 
and  be  no  more ;  but  the  eye  of  God  will  keep 
it  all  safe.  They  may  be  out  of  our  sight,  but 
he  will  always  see  them. 

O  Mary !  blessed  above  women !  thy  feet 
are  weary  in  walking  the  streets  of  Jerusalem 
seeking  for  the  lost  child,  and  thy  tears  fall  fast 
and  thick,  and  thy  head  throbs  with  pain, 
and  thy  heart  aches  with  sorrow  !  But  cheer 
up,  weeping  one  !  thy  child  is  safe !  God  will 
take  care  of  him ! 


#fe 


LECTURE     III. 

THE   CHILD   FOUND. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  after  three  days,  they  found  him  in 
the  Temple,  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors,  both  hearing 
them  and  asking  questions.  And  all  that  heard  him  were 
astonished  at  his  understanding  and  answers.  And  when 
they  saw  him,  they  were  amazed :  and  his  mother  said  unto 
him,  Son,  why  hast  thou  thus  dealt  with  us  f  behold,  thy 
father  and  I  have  sought  thee  sorrowing !  —  Luke  ii. 
46-48. 

Contents.  —  Teaching  by  the  bud.  Training  of  the  horse.  A  great  fact. 
The  little  girl  and  the  Bible  Society.  Little  Alice.  Children  walking. 
The  physician.  Surgeon.  Moses.  Luther.  Washington.  Our  story. 
The  search.  The  council-chamber.  The  voice  !  The  child  found. 
Gentle  reproof.  God's  great  plan.  Acorn.  Bright  day.  Making  a  man. 
How  Christ  came.  Picture  of  Christ.  Bad  imitations.  About  his  Fa- 
ther's business.  Learning  subjection.  Like  Jesus.  Sleeping  boy  and  his 
mother.  The  sick  child.  How  we  came  to  have  the  story.  Whom  does 
God  honor  ?    Lost  children  found.    Heaven.    The  joy  of  angels. 


We  have  very  few  blessings  which  do  not 
come  to  US  through  suffering.  If  the  httle  bud 
that  swells,  and  seems  so  unable  to  burst  open 


52  THE   CHILD   FOUND.  [Lect.  HL 

Teaching  by  the  bud.  Great  fact. 

its  covering,  could  speak  and  feel,  I  doubt  not 
it  would  tell  us  that  we  never  look  upon  the 
bright  face  of  a  beautiful  ilow^er  that  is  not 
the  result  of  suffering.  In  proportion  as  the 
horse  is  well  trained  and  gentle,  he  had  to  suffer 
in  being  broken  in,  and  learning  to  be  so  gentle, 
and  to  have  no  will  of  his  own.  The  white, 
beautiful  teeth  of  a  little  child,  that  look  so 
much  like  ivory,  caused  much  pain  before  they 
grew  up  in  that  regular  row. 

There  was  once  a  poor  little  girl  who  had  no 
Bible,  and  so  she  had  to  walk  miles  every  week 
to  read  a  Bible  and  get  her  Sabbath-school 
lesson.  Her  little  bare  feet  ached,  and  her 
body  w^as  weary,  and  she  was  one  day  found 
shedding  tears  over  her  lot,  —  in  not  having 
a  Bible  nearer !  Many  a  long,  weary  walk  she 
took,  through  much  suffering.  At  last  a  good 
minister  of  Jesus  found  her,  and  not  only  got 
her  the  book,  but  the  story  moved  many  good 


Lect.  III.]  THE   CHILD   FOUND.  53 

Little  girl  and  the  Bible  Society.       Little  Alice.        Children  walking. 

men  till  they  came  together  and  formed  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  —  the  great- 
est Bible  Society  in  the  world  !  And  so  that 
great  Society  came  into  being  by  the  tears 
and   sufferings    of  a   little    girl ! 

Some  years  ago  a  gentleman  in  Hartford  had 
a  beautiful  little  daughter.  But  O  how  the 
parents  grieved  when  they  found  that  she 
was  deaf  and  dumb,  and  could  never  speak 
or  hear!  She  was  bright  and  lovely,  and  no 
child  among  them  all  nestled  so  near  the  father's 
heart  as  little  Alice !  And  so  anxious  was 
he  for  her,  that  he  had  no  rest  till  the  Deaf 
and  Dumb  Asylum  was  established,  at  which 
hundreds  and  hundreds  of  such  unfortunate 
children  have  since  been  educated.  So  all 
this  great  good  seemed  to  grow  out  of  the 
sufferings    of   little    Alice ! 

The  child  cannot  learn  to  walk  without  many 
a  fall.     He  cannot  have  his  teeth  without  much 


54  THE  CHILD  FOUND.  [Lect.  HL 

The  physician.  Surgeon.  Moses.  Luther. 

pain  in  the  gums,  and  hard  suiFering !  Our 
blessings  come  to  us  through  suffering.  The 
physician  who  is  so  wise  and  so  skilful  when 
we  are  sick,  —  knowing  just  what  to  do,  — 
had  to  see  many  a  sick  one  before  he  learned 
all  this.  The  surgeon  who  is  so  skilful  that 
he  can  cut  off  a  broken  limb,  or  cut  out 
a  terrible  tumor,  must  go  into  the  hospital 
many,  many  times  before  he  can  become  so 
skilful.  He  must  see  many  a  limb  cut  off, 
and  many  an  operation  with  the  knife  and  the 
saw,  before  he  can  know  how  to  do  such  things. 
He  must  grow  to  be  a  surgeon  through  much 
suffering.  Somebody  must  suffer,  or  he  would 
not  have  the  skill.  There  could  have  been 
no  such  great  and  good  man  as  Moses,  had 
there  not  been  great  sufferings  among  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  in  Egypt. 

There  could  have  been  no  such  man  as  Martin 
Luther,  had  there  not  been  a  dreadful  state 
of  things  among  the  people. 


Lect.  III.]  THE   CHILD   FOUND.  55 

Washington.  Our  story.  The  search. 

There  could  have  been  no  such  great  and 
good  man  as  Washington,  had  not  the  troubles 
of  his  country  raised  him  up.  He  grew  up 
in  the  midst  of  suffering. 

Just  so  the  beautiful  story  of  Christ's  being 
lost  and  found  when  a  little  boy,  which  so 
many  thousands  and  millions  will  read  over 
with  admiration,  had  to  be  connected  with  the 
sufferings  of  his  mother.  How  many  tears 
she  shed !  how  many  sleepless  hours  she  spent ! 
how  little  food  she  took !  how  she  wandered 
all  over  the  city  inquiring  for  her  child ! 
What  had  become  of  him]  Had  he  gone 
Up  on  the  walls  of  the  city,  and,  leaning  over, 
fallen  off]  Had  he  gone  up  to  the  pinnacle 
of  the  Temple  and  fallen  off]  Had  any  of 
the  wild  men  of  the  desert  caught  him  and 
carried  him  off,  to  sell  him  into  slavery  in  Egypt, 
• —  as  Joseph  was  sold  ]  Should  she  find  him 
dead  ]     Or  would  she  never  see  his  face  again  ] 


56  THE   CHILD   FOUND.  [Lect.  III. 


The  council-chamber. 


Ah,  Mary !  it  was  told  thee  that  a  sword  should 
be  thrust  through  thee,  and  this  is  the  point  of 
the  sword  and  its  first  prickings  !  At  night  she 
dreams  of  him,  and  starts  up  from  her  sleep, 
thinking  she  hears  his  voice  calling  her  name ! 
She  listens  to  the  watchman's  cry,  —  and  they 
shout,  as  they  have  done  for  three  days  back, 
"  A  child  lost !  "     "A  child  lost ! " 

Towards  the  close  of  the  third  day,  when 
the  multitude  were  hastening  up  to  the  Temple, 
at  the  hour  of  sacrifice,  the  anxious,  pale,  and 
care-worn  mother  is  seen  mingling  with  the 
crowd.  Her  eye  pierces  among  them,  and  rests 
upon  every  child.  But  he  is  not  among  them ! 
At  last,  weary  and  sad,  the  mother  leans  against 
a  pillar  that  separates  between  the  court  where 
the  people  stop,  and  the  great  council-chamber 
where  the  great  teachers  and  learned  men  meet. 
The  door  stands  ajar,  and  she  hears  their  voices. 
Now   she   starts !  —  for  she  hears  a  voice  that 


Lect.  III.]  THK   CHILD   FOUND.  57 

The  voice !  The  child  found. 

she  knows !  Is  it  possible !  She  rushes  in ! 
The  council  are  so  much  taken  up,  that  they  do 
not  notice  that  a  woman  —  a  thing  never  per- 
mitted —  is  among  them !  Now  she  stops  sud- 
denly and  stands  still !  Is  it  because  she  is 
awed  at  the  sight  of  that  great  room,  with 
its  huge  pillars  all  round  it,  the  great  dome 
rising  up  so  high  over  it,  the  splendid  ceilings, 
the  carved  chairs  and  seats,  the  rich  tapestry 
and  curtains,  the  marble  floor  all  laid  out  in 
different  colors  like  a  rich  carpet '?  Is  it  be- 
cause she  is  afraid  at  the  sound  of  her  own 
footsteps  upon  the  marble]  How  still  she 
stands !  She  hardly  breathes !  and  now  she 
turns  paler  still !  Now  the  tears  come  rolling 
down  her  cheeks  !  How  she  trembles  !  What 
ails  the  w^oman !  Ah !  she  sees  her  child,  — 
her  lost  one,  —  alive,  —  well !  He  is  in  the 
very  middle  of  the  room,  surrounded  by  the 
great  doctors   and  teachers !     His   eye  is   calm, 


58  THE   CHILD   FOUND,  [Lect.  HI. 

Gentle  reproof.  God's  great  plan. 

his  voice  is  natural,  —  he  is  not  thinking  of 
himself.  He  is  asking  those  learned  teachers 
deep  questions.  They  are  all  looking  at  him, 
astonished  at  his  knowledge  of  divine  things,  — 
his  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  plans 
and  the  ways  of  God.  They  feel  that  he  can 
teach  them.  They  wonder  over  the  boy.  Just 
then  he  catches  the  eye  of  his  mother,  and, 
partly  in  reproof  and  partly  in  amazement, 
she  cries:  "My  son,  why  hast  thou  dealt  thus 
with  US'?  We  have  been  in  great  distress, 
fearing  thou  wert  lost.  We  have  searched  and 
mourned  with  deep  sorrow ! "  She  says  but 
little,  and  that  in  gentle  tones,  for  she  is  awed 
by  what  she  hears  and  sees.  She  receives  no 
reproof  from  the  great  men  into  whose  presence 
she  has  come,  for  they  see  that  she  is  the 
anxious    mother    of   that    w^onderful    child! 

It   is  God's  way  to  bring  out  his   plans  by 
degrees.     When   he   intends  to  make  an  oak. 


Lect.  III.]  THE   CHILD   FOUND.  59 


Acorn.  Bright  day.  Making  a  man. 


he  does  not  touch  the  ground  and  cause  the 
great  tree  to  tower  up  and  spread  out  its  wide 
branches  in  a  moment.  The  little  acorn  must 
be  first  made.  Perhaps  a  child's  foot  treads 
it  into  the  ground.  It  lies  there  in  the  cold, 
dark  ground  a  long  time.  Then  it  swells,  and 
bursts  open,  then  sends  up  the  little  shoot; 
and  so  it  grows  from  year  to  year,  till  it  slowly, 
and  after  a  long  time,  becomes  the  oak. 

When  God  intends  to  create  a  bright,  beau- 
tiful day,  he  does  not  cause  the  sun  to  rush 
up  instantly,  leaping  out  of  dark  midnight 
into  full  day;  but  he  opens  the  eye  of  day 
very  slowly.  First  the  faint  glimmer,  then 
the  soft  gray,  then  the  yellow  tints,  then  the 
light,  like  a  thin  mantle,  falling  over  every- 
thing. 

So,  when  God  is  to  make  a  great  and  good 
man,  he  does  not  let  him  leap  up  from  the 
cradle  into  the  strong  man  in   a  moment,  but 


60  THE   CHILD   FOUND.  [Lect.  IH. 

How  Christ  came. 

slowly  he  must  pass  along,  —  the  infant,  the 
child,  the  youth,  the  young  man,  and  the 
mature  man  of  strength.  This  is  God's  way 
in  everything. 

Just  so,  in  sending  his  own  Son  to  redeem 
this  world.  He  did  not  send  him  wrapped 
in  a  cloud,  as  when  he  gave  the  ten  command- 
ments on  Sinai ;  he  did  not  send  him  in  the 
bright  form  of  an  angel  coming  on  the  clouds 
as  his  chariot;  no,  nor  even  as  a  full-grown 
man.  He  sent  him  here  as  a  child,  —  so  that 
he  might  know  how  children  feel,  —  because 
he  was  to  be  the  Saviour  of  children.  "  He 
learned  obedience,"  to  teach  us  how  to  honor 
and  obey  our  parents.  He  was  revealed  by 
degrees.  The  great  council  of  the  nation  had 
the  opportunity  of  knowing  him  in  his  very 
childhood  twice ;  once  when  he  was  born,  and 
the  wise  men  came  from  the  east  and  asked 
about  him,   and   now,  by  meeting   him  in  the 


Lect.  III.]  THE   CHILD   FOUND.  61 


Picture  of  Christ. 


Temple,  and  seeing  and  hearing  him.  He  him- 
self teaches  us  that  his  kingdom  —  though  it  is 
to  be  an  everlasting  kingdom  —  is  to  grow  up, 
like  the  mustard-plant,  from  a  little  seed. 

Suppose,  now,  a  man  could  dig  up  from  under 
the  ruins  of  the  old  Temple  at  Jerusalem  a  true 
and  exact  picture  of  the  boy  Jesus  as  he  sat 
in  the  midst  of  these  doctors,  hearing  and 
asking  them  questions,  and  it  could  be  proved 
to  everybody  that  this  was  a  true  picture  of  the 
scene,  and  an  exact  portrait  of  him.  How 
much  money  Avould  men  give  for  that  picture ! 
It  would  sell  for  a  kingdom !  And  yet  it 
would  not  be  very  valuable.  It  would  be  only 
a  curiosity.  It  would  not  show  us  how  Christ 
looked,  on  the  morning  of  his  death,  nor  how 
he  looks  now.  The  picture  would  not  give  us 
so  good  an  idea  of  him  as  this  beautiful  story 
does.  This  shows  him  —  his  soul,  his  spirit  — 
to  us,  just  as  we  want  to  see  it.     We  cannot 


62  THE   CHILD   FOUND.  [Lect.  IIL 

Bad  imitations.  About  his  Fatlier's  business. 

think  of  a  more  beautiful  situation  in  which 
he  could  have  been  placed.  If  we  had  a  pic- 
ture .  of  Christ,  —  if  God  had  so  ordered  it 
that  we  had  an  exact  picture  of  Christ,  —  we 
might  have  Avorshipped  it ;  or  his  disciples 
might  think  that  they  were  imitating  him,  and 
being  like  him,  if  they  wore  their  hair  as  he 
did,  or  dressed  as  he  did,  or  wore  their  beard  as 
he  did.  But  now  we  know  we  are  not  like 
him  unless  we  feel  like  him,  do  like  him,  and 
think  like  him. 

He  was  about  his  Father's  business !  And 
yet  what  was  he  doing  ]  He  was  going  to  the 
Temple  and  learning  about  God  and  his  king- 
dom. He  went  to  learn.  He  Avent  to  fit 
himself  for  doing  good  hereafter.  And  he  has 
left  us,  not  a  picture  of  himself  as  he  then 
looked,  not  the  coat  or  the  sandals  (shoes)  that 
he  wore,  not  a  lock  of  hair,  but  something 
more  precious.     He  has  left  us  his  example,  — 


Lect.  III.J  the  child  FOUND.  63 

Learning  subjection.  Like  Jesus. 

his  beautiful  example  when  but  twelve  years 
old! 

Gently  the  mother  took  him  by  the  hand  and 
led  him  towards  their  humble  home.  She  was 
filled  with  awe  and  wonder,  and  silently  pon- 
dered these  things  in  her  heart.  Meekly  and 
quietly  he  walked  by  her  side,  —  perhaps  now 
and  then  dropping  a  word  about  the  lofty  things 
he  had  been  talking  about  in  the  presence  of 
the  doctors. 

Will  a  child  love  to  go  up  to  the  house  of 
God  and  listen  to  the  teachings  of  his  word, 
and  hear  about  the  great  kingdom  and  glory  of 
God  ]     Yes  ;  if  he  is  like  Jesus  ! 

Will  a  child  who  knows  more  about  some 
things  than  even  his  mother,  be  ready  to  obey 
her  and  honor  and  love  her  ?  Yes ;  if  he  is 
like  Jesus ! 

Will  a  child  who  can  converse  with  great  and 
learned  men,  and  even  astonish  them,  be  willing  - 


Q4:  THE  CHILD  FOUND.  [Lect.  HL 


Sleeping  boy  and  his  mother.  The  sick  child. 


to  be  subject  to  his  mother,  and  be  to  her 
a  kind  and  dutiful  child  ?  Yes  ;  if  he  is  like 
Jesus  Christ,  —  our  pattern,  —  he  will ! 

When  the  day  closed,  and  the  gladdened  but 
weary  mother  came  to  seek  the  pillow  on  which 
she  had  found  no  rest  for  the  last  three  nights, 
do  you  doubt  that  she  knelt  down  and  gave 
God  thanks  for  the  recovery  of  her  lost  child  ] 
And  as  she  went  into  his  room  once  more, 
to  look  again  upon  the  face  that  was  never 
flushed  by  anger,  that  was  never  clouded  by 
impatience,  that  never  frowned  or  scowled  in 
moroseness,  and  saw  him  WTapped  in  the  soft 
slumbers  of  innocence,  did  she  not  have  her 
eyes  fill  with  tears,  and  thank  God  again  and 
again  1  The  lost  child  was  found  and  before 
her! 

And  will  not  the  mother  who  has  been  hang- 
ing over  the  couch  of  her  sick  child,  and  seen 
it  droop  like  a  flower,  and  fade  like  a  rose,  and 


Lect.  III.]  THE   CHILD   FOUND.  65 

How  we  came  to  have  the  story. 

come  down  near  the  grave,  —  so  near  that 
she  felt  that  it  was  gone,  and  she  must  lose 
it,  —  O,  if  God  gives  her  to  find  the  lost  child 
again,  and  to  have  it  restored  to  her,  will  she 
not  thank  God  again  and  again,  and  ponder 
these  things  in  her  heart] 

This  story  of  the  young  prophet  of  Nazareth 
had  never  been  written,  if  he  had  gone  up 
to  the  Temple  merely  to  see  it,  as  boys  often  go 
to  some  show ;  or  if  he  had  gone  up  to  the 
Temple  to  show  how  much  he  knew  and  how 
learned  he  was ;  or  if  he  had  gone  that  he 
might  ask  puzzling  questions.  But  no !  he 
went  up  that  he  might  be  about  his  Fathers 
business  !  God  looketh  on  the  heart,  and  them 
that  honor  him  he  will  honor.  Those  learned 
men  thought  that  they  were  great  men,  and 
should  be  greatly  missed  when  they  died,  and 
have  rich  and  costly  funerals  and  splendid 
tombs,  and  have  their  names  go  down  to  pos- 

5 


66  THE   CHILD   FOUND.  [Lect.  HI. 

Whom  does  God  honor?  Lost  children  found. 

terity !  But  who  knows  where  they  were 
buried,  or  even  what  their  names  were]  while 
the  child  that  stood  before  them,  and  who  was 
about  his  Father's  business,  shall  be  known, 
honored,  loved,  and  obeyed,  —  not  only  while 
the  sun  and  the  moon  endure,  but  even  for  ever 
and  ever ! 

O,  how  many  a  mother  has  thought  her 
child,  so  cherished  and  so  dear,  was  lost,  lost 
for  ever,  as  it  dropped  from  her  arms,  and 
an  unseen  messenger  carried  it  away  out  of  her 
sight !  How  she  has  mourned  as  she  turned 
back  from  the  graveyard  to  her  desolate  home, 
to  meet  his  form,  to  hear  his  voice,  no  more ! 
How  she  has  felt  that  she  had  lost  him,  as 
she  looked  over  his  drawer  and  saw  all  his 
playthings  just  as  he  left  them,  —  the  books 
that  he  read,  the  knife  that  he  used,  the  slate 
on  which  he  drew  figures !  How  his  form 
came   back    and  lived  in  the  chambers   of  her 


Lect.  III.]  THE  CHILD   FOUND.  67 

Heaven.  The  joy  of  angels. 

memory !  and  how  she  dreamed  about  him 
in  the  night,  and  felt  his  warm  breath  upon  her 
cheek,  and  then  awoke  and  felt  that  he  was 
lost !  Lost !  O  no  !  when  she  meets  that  child 
again,  he  may  be  —  not  in  the  Temple  sitting 
among  the  doctors  and  asking  them  questions  — 
but  he  may  be  in  the  midst  of  the  shining 
angels  in  heaven,  and  thus  her  sorrow  be  turned 
into  "joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory." 

"  The  child  is  found  !  "  Thus  the  tidings  ran 
through  all  the  circle  of  kindred  and  friends  at 
Nazareth,  —  and  thus  they  all  rejoiced  with 
Joseph  and  Mary  when  they  heard  the  story. 

Thus,  too,  when  a  sinful  child  returns  to  his 
Heavenly  Father,  and  repents  of  sin,  and  be- 
comes a  Christian,  the  tidings  are  known  in 
heaven,  and  "  I  say  unto  you  there  is  joy  in 
heaven  in  the  presence  of  the  angels  over  one 
sinner  that  repenteth ! "  Then  the  lost  one 
is  found !     Then  the  dead  one  returns  to  life ! 


68  THE  CHILD  FOUND.  [Lect.  HI. 

The  joy  of  angels. 

Then  the  sick  one  recovers !  Then,  anxiety 
about  him  is  all  over.  The  lost  child  is  found ! 
is  the  joy  of  heaven  when  one  soul  comes  to 
Christ  for  salvation.  Do  you  think  there  has 
ever  been  any  such  joy  over  you,  my  dear 
children?  Do  you  think  you  shall  ever  be 
found,  all  safe  and  good  in  heaven,  as  the  child 
Jesus  was  in  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem?  May 
God  grant  it ! 


LECTUEE     ly. 

GATHERED   LILIES. 

My  beloved  is  gone  down  into  his  garden, to  gather 

lilies.  —  Song  of  Solomox  vi.  2. 

Contents.  —  The  modest  flower,  —  how  used.  Ancient  gods.  Christ's  gar- 
den. The  cliild's  coffin.  Its  new  home.  The  flower  gathered.  A  beauti- 
ful picture.  What  are  Christ's  lilies.  First  method  of  gathering  them. 
The  polar  bear.  The  mother's  love.  Home  a  school.  The  orphan.  The 
family  of  the  dead  minister.  Christ's  school-house.  Second  method  of 
gathering  flowers.  The  missionary's  memory.  Sabbath-school  results. 
Pastor.  Lawyer.  Teachers.  Lake  on  the  mountain.  Third  method  of 
gathering  lilies.  The  child  and  the  wise  man.  The  blind  beggar.  Child's 
faith.  Child  in  the  woods.  Child's  religion  and  faith.  Voices  of  nature. 
The  dumb  oak.  Fourth  way  of  gathering  lilies.  The  mourning  lily. 
The  transplanted  lily.  Christ's  lilies.  Garden  of  heaven.  Lesson  learned. 
Christ  the  glorious  !  Christ's  visits;  Second  lesson  learned.  Parents. 
Teachers.     Children. 

In  our  American  gardens,  in  some  shady, 
retired  corner,  you  will  find  a  modest,  lowly 
flower,  with  large,  deep-green  leaves,  and  a 
profusion  of  blossoms  of  the  purest  white  and 
of  the  sweetest  perfume.     It  is  the  "  Lily  of  the 


70  GATHERED   LILIES.  [Lect.  IV. 

The  modest  flower.  How  used.  Ancient  gods. 

valley."  Our  daughters  place  the  flower  in  the 
hair  of  the  young  bride ;  and  many  a  little 
hand  of  the  infant  in  his  coffin  have  I  seen 
clasped  around  this  beautiful  flower.  The  fair 
brow  of  the  bride,  and  fairer  brow  of  the  little 
one  sleeping  in  death,  —  like  alabaster,  brighter 
the  nearer  you  bring  it  to  the  light,  —  is 
adorned  by  the  presence  of  this  lily. 

In  ancient  times,  they  felt  that  the  care  of 
the  world  and  all  the  different  things  in  it 
was  too  much  for  one  God,  and  so  they  fool- 
ishly contrived  to  have  many  gods,  and  pre- 
tended that  every  mountain,  and  every  river 
and  fountain,  every  tree  and  flower,  and  even 
every  stalk  of  grain,  had  a  god  or  goddess  to 
take  care  of  it.  And  still,  they  knew  that  this 
god,  though  he  had  but  one  thing  to  do,  could 
not  take  care  of  the  mountain,  so  that  the 
earthquake  might  not  shake  it  down ;  or  the 
river,   so   that  it  would  not    dry    up,    or    over- 


Lect.  IV.]  GATHERED   LILIES.  71 


Christ's  garden.  The  child's  coffin. 

flow  its  banks ;  or  the  fountain,  so  that  it  would 
not  cease  to  flow ;  or  the  tree,  so  that  the  wind 
woidd  not  hurl  it  over  ;  or  the  flower,  so  that 
it  would  not  wither  ;  or  the  stalk  of  wheat,  so 
that  it  would  not  blast. 

Christ  sometimes  calls  his  Church  a  vine- 
yard, in  which  he  raises  the  choicest  fruit  of  the 
vine.  Sometimes  a  garden,  in  which  are  planted 
trees  and  shrubs,  spices,  trees  of  frankincense, 
myrrh,  aloes,  cinnamon,  pomegranates,  lilies,  and 
flowers.  And  among  all  these  there  is  none 
more  beautiful  than  the  lilies.  It  is  these  that 
he  gathers  the  most  frequently.  And  when  I 
stand  over  the  little  coflin  containing  the  babe 
so  fair,  so  like  marble,  so  unlike  anything  earth- 
ly, with  a  beauty  which  death  could  not  efl'ace, 
—  the  lily  with  the  dew  still  fresh  on  it,  — 
no  more  to  bloom  here,  but  with  the  dust 
shaken  from  it  and  gently  transplanted  to  the 
garden   above  in  which    to  bloom  for  ever, — 


72  GATHERED   LILIES.  [Lect.  IV. 

Its  new  home.  The  flower  gathered. 

I  always  recall  the  words  of  our  text,  and  feel 
that  Christ  has  come  down  into  his  garden  to 
gather  lilies  ! 

We  do  not  know  what  the  little  one  would 
have  been  here.  We  do  not  know  through 
what  dangers  or  sorrows  or  pains  it  would  have 
passed  here,  but  we  know  it  has  gone  to  God  to 
be  educated,  and  will  never  remember  any  other 
home  but  heaven.  It  will  not  remember  the 
few  days  of  its  wailings  here,  nor  the  sobs  of  its 
mother  as  she  saw  it  dressed  for  the  grave. 
The  lily  was  gathered  before  the  cold  storms 
beat  on  it,  or  the  burning  sun  had  taken  away 
its  beauty.  Death  lifted  it  up  so  gently,  that  he 
left  no  marks  of  his  hands  upon  it,  except 
his  seal  which  closed  the  ear,  the  eye,  and  stilled 
the  beatings  of  the  little  heart. 

But  it  is  not  about  transplanted  flowers  that 
I  am  wishing  at  this  time  to  speak ;  though  if 
I  were  to  try  to  describe  something  beautiful  as 


Lect.  IV.]  GATHERED   LILIES.  73 

What  would  be  a  beautiful  picture.  What  are  Christ's  lilies? 

a  diamond,  and  sublime  enough  for  a  picture 
which  an  angel  might  paint,  I  should  select 
some  little  child  who  very  early  began  to  seek 
after  Jesus,  who  lisped  his  praises  here,  and  in 
the  sublimity  of  simple  faith  went  over  the 
river  of  death,  without  a  fear  or  a  terror ! 
We  have  seen  such  lilies  gathered.  I  am  think- 
ing this  moment  of  a  sweet  child  of  this  very 
church,  who  stood  at  the  grave  of  her  mother 
and  young  sister,  and  with  her  little  hand 
pointed  out  the  spot  between  them,  where, 
she  begged  her  father,  she  might  be  buried ! 
What  a  sickness  that  child  went  through ! 
And  what  confidence  in  her  Saviour,  as  she 
struggled  on  towards  him,  through  suffering, 
and  was  finally  gathered  to  him  with  a  faith 
that  a  Moses  might  admire !  Such  pictures 
never  fide  from  the  memory  ! 

There  is  no  part  of  his  garden  which  Christ 
loves  more  to  visit  than  the  flowers,  —  the  lilies. 


74  GATHERED   LILIES.  [Lect.  IV. 


First  method  of  gathering.  The  polar  bear. 


He  has  taken  great  pains  for  their  being  taken 
care  of.  Let  us  see  now  what  the  great  Re- 
deemer has  done  to  gather  in  the  lilies  of  his 
erardcn,  —  the  children  of  his  Church. 

1.  He  gathers  them  under  the  care  and  love  of 
their  parents. 

God  plants  the  seeds  of  love  in  the  heart  of 
all  creatures,  so  that,  as  soon  as  they  have  their 
young  committed  to  them,  they  love  them  with 
a  very  strong  love.  The  most  savage  beast  will 
fight  for  her  young,  die  for  her  young,  and, 
if  need  be,  will  starve  herself  to  give  it  food. 
Bleeding,  wounded,  dying,  they  will  think  only 
of  their  young.  What  child  has  not  shed  tears 
over  that  affecting  story  of  the  white,  polar  bear, 
which  the  sailors  shot  on  the  ice,  after  having 
shot  her  cubs,  when  she  fell  between  them  and 
died,  licking  their  wounds  ]  The  beautiful  story 
is  old,  but  so  to  the  point  that  I  feel  that 
I  must  tell  it. 


Lect.  IV.]  GATHERED   LILIES.  75 

The  polar  bear. 

A  ship  of  war,  the  Carcase,  was  sent  to 
make  discoveries  towards  the  north  pole. 
While  frozen  and  locked  in  the  ice,  the  man 
at  the  masthead  gave  notice,  early  one  morning, 
that  three  white  bears  were  directing  their 
course  towards  the  ship.  They  had  no  doubt 
been  invited  by  the  scent  of  the  blubber  of 
a  sea-horse,  killed  by  the  crew  a  few  days 
before,  and  which  had  been  set  on  fire  and  was 
burning  on  the  ice  at  the  time  of  their  ap- 
proach. 

They  proved  to  be  an  old  bear  with  her  two 
cubs ;  but  the  cubs  were  nearly  as  large  as  the 
dam.  They  ran  eagerly  to  the  fire,  and  snatched 
from  the  flames  portions  of  the  fish  that  re- 
mained unconsumed,  and  ate  it  as  if  they  were 
very  hungry.  The  crew  threw  upon  the  ice 
great  lumps  of  flesh  also,  which  they  had  still 
on  hand.  These  the  old  bear  fetched  away 
singly,  laid  them  before  her  cubs,  and,  dividing 


76  GATHERED   LILIES.  [Lect.  IV. 

The  polar  bear. 

them,  gave  to  each  a  share,  reserving  but  a 
small  portion  for  herself. 

As  she  was  fetching  away  the  last  piece,  the 
sailors  levelled  their  muskets  at  the  cubs,  and 
shot  them  dead,  and  in  her  retreat  they  wound- 
ed the  dam,  but  not  mortally.  It  w^ould  have 
drawn    tears   of   pity    from    any    but    the    most 

ft 

unfeeling,  to  have  seen  the  affectionate  concern 
expressed  by  this  beast  in  the  last  moments  of 
her  dying  young. 

Though  she  was  herself  dreadfully  wounded, 
she  still  retained  in  her  mouth  the  piece  of 
ilesh,  and,  though  weak  with  the  loss  of  blood, 
carried  it  back  to  her  cubs,  tore  it  in  pieces,  and 
laid  it  before  them ;  and  when  she  saw  that  they 
refused  to  eat,  she  laid  her  paws  upon  one,  and 
then  upon  the  other,  and  endeavored  to  raise 
them  up,  all  the  while  moaning  most  piteously. 
When  she  found  that  she  could  not  stir  them, 
she    went    off,    and,  when    she   had    got   some 


Lkct.  IV.]  GATHERED   LILIES.  77 

The  polar  bear.  The  mother's  love. 

distance,  looked  back  and  moaned;  that  not 
availing  to  entice  them  away,  she  returned, 
and,  smelling  around  them,  began  to  lick  their 
wounds. 

She  went  off  a  second  time,  as  before,  and, 
having  crawled  a  few  paces,  looked  again  behind 
her,  and  for  some  time  stood  moaning.  But 
still  her  cubs  not  rising  to  follow  her,  she 
returned  to  them  again,  and  with  signs  of  inex- 
pressible fondness  went  round  pawing  them, 
still  moaning.  Finding  at  last  that  they  were 
cold  and  lifeless,  she  raised  her  head  towards 
the  ship,  and  uttered  a  growl  of  despair,  which 
the  crew  returned  with  a  volley  of  musket-balls. 
She  fell  between  her  cubs  and  died  licking  their 
wounds. 

Who  does  not  know  that,  after  the  drunken 
husband  has  stripped  his  home  of  everything 
that  he  can  sell  with  which  to  buy  drink, 
the  poor  mother  will  gather  her  babes  around 


78  GATHEEED  LILIES.  [Lect.  IV. 

Home  a  school. 

her,  and,  while  the  cold  storm  is  raging  out  of 
doors,  will  give  them  the  last  mouthful  of  food 
she  has,  going  without  herself,  and  then,  taking 
off  the  poor  remnants  of  her  shawl,  will  wrap 
them  in  it,  and  bend  over  them  as  they  murmur 
for  food  in  their  slumbers,  praying  that  she  may 
not  die  because  nobody  else  will  take  care  of 
these  helpless   ones  ? 

No  child  can  ever  know  how  many  times 
his  parents  have  risen  in  the  night  for  him, 
watched  over  his  cradle,  trembled  for  his  safety, 
or  how  many  times  the  praying  parent  has 
commended  him  to  the  Infinite  Redeemer. 
Who  teaches  the  child  to  speak,  to  walk,  to 
know  its  letters,  to  take  care  of  himself] 
Who  teaches  him  the  name  of  God  and  the  first 
words  of  prayer  1  Home  is  the  garden  !  There 
the  earnest  prayer  goes  up  every  day  for  the 
child.  There  he  is  trained.  There  he  hears 
Christ  spoken  of,  and  spoken  to,  with  reverence 


Lect.  IV.]  GATHERED   LILIES.  79 


The  orphan.  The  minister's  family. 

and  tenderness.  There  he  hears  God's  word 
read  every  day.  He  cannot  remember  when 
these  things  were  new  to  him.  There  he  sees 
the  world  laid  aside,  and  the  Sabbath  welcomed. 
There  he  hears  of  the  mercy  of  Christ  shown 
in  the  conversion  of  men,  in  the  death  of  the 
righteous,  and  in  the  hopes  of  the  living.  The 
most  sacred  thing  in  the  dwelling,  is  the  family 
altar. 

Sometimes  the  little  child  has  no  home  and 
no  parents  to  train  him  thus.  But  God  has 
made  special  promises  to  such,  and  he  takes 
peculiar  care  of  him.  I  once  knew  a  good 
minister  and  his  wife  both  carried  to  the  grave 
nearly  at  the  same  time,  leaving  a  family  of 
children.  I  was  amazed  to  see  how  quickly 
loving  hearts  were  raised  up,  and  kind  homes 
opened  for  them.  Among  them  was  a  sweet 
little  boy  about  a  year  old.  On  my  mentioning 
the  case  at  an  evening  meeting,  a  gentleman  and 


80  GATHERED   LILIES.  [Lect.  IV. 

Christ's  school-house.  Second  method  of  gathering  flowers. 

his  wife  at  once  said  they  would  adopt  him  and 
make  him  their  own.  But  before  they  could 
get  him,  he  was  sent  for  to  go  up  where  his 
father  and  mother  were,  and  the  frail  lily  was 
gathered  there !  It  was  affecting  to  see  how 
the  new  parents,  who  wanted  to  adopt  him, 
were  disappointed,  and  how  they  grieved.  And 
many  an  orphan  on  whose  head  the  hand  of 
a  dying  father  or  mother  has  been  laid,  has 
found  other  hearts  to  love  him,  other  hands  to 
feed  him,  and  others  to  train  him  up  in  the  way 
of  the  Lord.  The  family  is  the  school-house  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

2.  He  gathers  the  lilies  in  the  Sahhath  school. 

There  are  but  few  men  now  who  cannot  look 
back  to  the  time  when  they  went  to  the  Sabbath 
school.  Perhaps  the  man  is  now  sitting  down 
alone  in  China,  the  opposite  side  of  our  great 
world,  and  is  sending  his  thoughts  all  the  way 
back  to  his  country.     He  seems  to  see  the  home 


Lkct.  IV.]  GATHERED   LILIES.  81 

The  missionary's  memory.  Sabbath-scliool  results. 

where  he  used  to  live  when  a  child,  the  old  gate 
on  which  he  swung,  the  deep  well  from  which 
he  used  to  drink,  the  kind  friends  who  took 
care  of  him.  And  now  he  seems  to  hear  the 
old  church-bell  ring,  and  to  see  the  people 
gather  for  worship,  and  he  seems  to  see  the 
little  boys  and  girls  gather  with  him  in  the 
Sabbath  school.  He  sees  the  very  pew  in 
which  he  sat,  and  now  the  face  and  the  form  of 
that  good,  faithful  Teacher  rises  up  before  him  ! 
He  remembers  how  kind  and  gentle  he  was, 
how  patient  and  meek  he  was,  and  how  he 
used  to  speak  of  Christ  with  tears.  He  remem- 
bers how  his  own  heart  was  affected,  and  how 
there,  in  that  school,  he  first  felt  that  he  was 
a  sinner,  and  needed  a  Saviour,  and  there  he 
first  felt  the  love  of  Christ  in  his  heart.  He 
was  gathered  into  the  school,  and  then  gathered 
into  the  school  of  Christ.  There  he  learned  to 
be  a  missionary  of  the  cross.     And  he  is  such 

6 


82  GATHERED   LILIES.  [Lect.  IV. 

Missionary.  Pastor.  Lawyer. 

a  missionary  to  China  to-day.  And  were  men 
to  come  together  from  the  east  and  the  west, 
the  north  and  the  south,  rnd  tell  when,  and 
where,  and  how,  they  were  brought  to  Christ, 
one  would  say,  "I  am  a  missionary  of  Christ, 
and  was  gathered  to  him  in  the  Sabbath  school.'* 
Another  would  say,  "I  am  a  pastor  of  a 
church  of  Jesus,  and  in  the  Sabbath  school  I 
was  first  led  to  him."  Another  would  say,  "  I 
am  a  Christian  lawyer,  and  I  bless  God  for  the 
Sabbath  school."  "  So  do  I,"  says  the  Christian 
physician.  "  I  was  never  taught  to  go  to  the 
Great  Physician,  till  I  went  to  the  Sabbath 
school."  "  And  there,"  says  the  Christian 
merchant,  "  I  learned  to  buy  the  pearl  of  great 
price,  and  to  be  a  commission  merchant  for 
Jesus   Christ." 

There  are  thousands  of  children  who  have  no 
parents,  and  God  is  their  father.  There  are 
thousands  more  whose  parents  do  not  instruct 


Lkct.  IV.]  GATHERED  LILIES.  83 

Lake  on  the  mountains.  Third  method  of  gathering  lilies. 

them  in  the  family,  and  so  he  touches  the  hearts 
of  the  good,  and  puts  into  their  heart  a  desire  to 
do  good,  and  thus  they  become  teachers.  The 
minister  is  told  to  feed  the  lambs  of  his  flock, 
and  there  is  no  way  that  he  can  do  it  so  well 
as  to  train  up  good  teachers  for  the  Sabbath 
school.  It  is  like  a  great  lake  on  the  top  of 
the  mountain.  The  Bible  is  the  lake.  Minis- 
ters are  the  great  pipes  which  draw  out  the 
water,  and  these  teachers  are  the  many  pipes 
which  carry  it  to  every  house.  Or,  to  use  the 
figure  in  our  text,  the  church  is  the  garden,  and 
the  children  are  the  flowers  —  the  lilies  which 
grow  in  the  garden,  and  the  teachers  are  the 
gardeners,  who  go  among  them  to  keep  out  the 
weeds,  to  give  each  one  water  and  air  and  sun- 
light, and  thus  make  them  beautiful  for  the 
owner  of  the  garden,  Jesus  Christ. 

3.  He  gathers  the  lilies  hi/  converting  their  souls. 

Some  think  the  little  child  cannot  be  convert- 


g4  GATHERED   LILIES.  [Lect.  IV. 


The  child  and  the  wise  man.  The  blind  beggar. 


ed,  because  he  is  too  young  to  understand  re- 
ligion. They  might  just  as  well  say  he  cannot 
live  on  food,  because  he  cannot  tell  how  the 
grass  that  feeds  the  ox  is  turned  into  flesh,  and 
then  nourishes  him.  They  might  as  well  say 
he  cannot  be  warmed  with  his  clothes,  because 
he  cannot  tell  how  the  grass  which  the  sheep 
eats  is  turned  into  wool,  and  how  the  wool 
is  made  into  cloth.  The  greatest  man  that  ever 
lived  cannot  tell  how  the  grass  is  turned  into 
flesh  or  into  wool,  and  thus  made  to  nourish  or 
warm  us.  The  little  child  can  eat  the  food  and 
live.  The  philosopher  can  do  no  more.  He 
can  put  on  his  garments  and  be  warm.  The 
great  and  learned  man  can  do  no  more. 

A  poor  blind  beggar  once  cried  out  in  the 
street,  and  asked  Christ  to  have  mercy  on  him. 
"What  did  he  want  I  Lord,  that  my  eyes  might 
be  opened.  How  could  he  tell  how  Christ  could 
open  his  eyes  \     And  when  he  had  them  cured, 


Lect.  IV.]  GATHERED   LILIES.  85 

The  child's  fiiith.  Child  in  the  woods. 

what  could  he  say,  when  they  asked  him,  "  How 
opened  he  thine  eyes '?  "  "  By  what  means  he 
opened  mine  eyes,  I  know  not ;  but  one  thing  I 
know,  that  whereas  I  was  blind,  I  now  see ! " 
Could  the  greatest  man  that  ever  lived  say  more "? 

Every  child  knows  what  it  is  to  love  his 
mother,  but  can  he  tell  you  anything  more 
about  it  than  he  feels  it  ?  Could  any  man  say 
more? 

Every  child  can  take  hold  of  his  father's 
hand  and  go  with  him  in  the  dark,  and  this  is 
having  faith  in  his  father ;  but  he  cannot  tell 
you  what  faith  is  ! 

A  little  child  once  got  lost  in  the  woods,  and 
night  came  on,  and  it  grew  dark,  and  they  could 
not  find  him  for  a  long  time.  At  last  he  lay 
down  under  a  log,  cold  and  afraid,  and  cried  as 
loud  as  he  dared.  At  length  he  heard  some  one 
calling.  He  was  afraid  at  first  that  it  was  a 
wild   beast.     Then   he   plainly   heard   his    own 


86  GATHERED   LILIES.  [Lect.  IV. 

Child's  religion  and  faith.  The  voices  of  nature. 

name.  Still  he  did  not  stir.  But  when  the  voice 
came  nearer  and  he  heard  his  own  name  called, 
he  stopped  crying  and  jumped  up  and  went  to- 
wards the  voice.  He  could  not  see  anything, 
but  he  heard  his  father's  voice  and  ran  to  him  ! 
Thus  he  could  have  faith,  though  he  could  not 
tell  what  faith  was.  The  child  Samuel  could 
say,  "  Speak,  Lord,  for  thy  servant  heareth," 
though  he  could  not  know  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  from  the  voice  of  Eli. 

So  the  little  child  can  believe  in  Christ  and 
love  Christ,  though  he  cannot  know  all  the 
deep  things  in  religion.  He  can  live  upon  the 
sincere  milk  of  the  word,  and  grow  thereby,  and 
that  is  all  that  is  necessary  for  his  being  gath- 
ered to  Christ. 

The  beautiful  rose  does  not  know  how  the 
dews  of  the  night  refresh  it  and  revive  it,  but 
they  do.  The  modest  lily,  that  peeps  up  and 
catches  a  few  of  the  bright  sunbeams,  does  not 


Lect.  IV.]  GATHERED   LILIES.  87 

The  dumb  oak.  Fourth  way  of  gathering  lilies. 

know  how  they  make  it  white  and  pure,  but 
they  do.  The  valley  that  lies  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  does  not  know  how  the  gentle  rills 
that  run  down  the  sides  of  the  mountain, 
bursting  out  from  hundreds  of  little  springs, 
make  it  bright  and  fertile,  but  they  do.  So 
the  little  one  does  not  know  how  he  believes 
on  Christ,  and  how  he  lives  by  faith,  but  he 
does.  And  the  tall  tree  of  the  forest,  and  the 
giant  oak  on  the  hill,  can  no  more  tell  how 
they  are  nourished  by  the  rain  and  the  sun- 
shine, than  can  the  little  violet  that  grows  in 
the  crack  of  a  rock ;  and  the  lofty  tree  in  the 
garden  and  the  frail  lily  are  alike  fed,  they 
know  not  how.  When  the  child  has  said  that 
he  feels  love  to  Christ  in  his  heart,  could  a 
Newton,  with  all  his  great  mind,  say  any  more  ] 

4.  He  gathers  the  lilies  into  the  garden  of 
heaven. 

Suppose  you  should  go  into  a  beautiful  gar- 


88  GATHERED   LILIES.  [Lect.  IV. 

The  mourning  lily.  The  transplanted  lily. 

den,  and,  as  you  stooped  down  to  admire  a 
sweet  lily,  it  should  droop  its  leaves,  and  shut 
up  its  flowers,  and  say  to  you,  "  Sir,  I  am  a 
mourner !  I  had  a  beautiful  child  by  my  side 
which  grew  from  my  root.  It  opened  its  flow- 
ers and  mingled  its  leaves  with  mine,  and 
waved  its  head,  and  seemed  daily  to  smile  upon 
me.  It  seemed  to  me  there  was  never  a  lily 
so  white  and  pure  and  beautiful !  But  one 
day  there  came  a  man  with  a  spade,  and  he 
rudely  dug  up  my  child,  and  tore  its  roots 
from  mine,  and  then  crowded  it  into  a  small 
pot  and  carried  it  off.  He  said  not  a  word  to 
me.  He  gave  not  a  word  of  explanation ;  but 
he  silently  carried  away  my  child."  What 
would  you  say  to  that  mourning  lily] 

Why,  you  would  say,  "  Do  not  grieve.  That 
man  who  seemed  so  rude,  was  the  owner  of 
the  garden,  and  he  put  the  young  lily  in  the 
flower-pot,    and   has    carried    it    into    his    own 


Lect.  IV.]  GATHERED   LILIES.  89 

Christ's  l.lies.  Garden  of  heaven. 

parlor,  where,  under  his  own  eye,  it  will  be 
sheltered  from  the  storms  and  cold  winds  and 
snows  of  winter,  and  where  it  will  bloom  in 
its  beauty  continually.  He  came  himself  and 
gathered  his  lily,  and  gently  removed  it  to  the 
warm  place  where  he  himself  lives  !  " 

Do  you  not  understand  me,  children  ]  Does 
not  Christ  thus  come  to  his  garden  and  gather 
lilies,  and  remove  them  to  his  own  beautiful 
home  in  the  heavens  ?  No  storms  come  there. 
No  crying  is  heard  there.  No  tears  are  shed 
there.  It  is  called  the  Paradise,  or  garden  of 
the  Lord.  Here,  the  garden  is  a  beautiful  place, 
but  it  was  in  a  garden  that  Adam  sinned,  and 
it  was  in  a  garden  that  Jesus  was  exceeding 
sorrowful,  even  unto  death,  and  it  was  in  a 
garden  that  he  found  a  tomb!  But  in  the 
paradise  above,  there  shall  be  nothing  of  sin, 
of  sorrow,  or  of  death.  The  serpent  shall  not 
draw  his  trail  over  the  flowers;  tears  shall  not 


90  GATHERED   LILIES.  [Lect.  IV. 

Lesson  learned.  Christ  the  glorious ! 

fall  among  them,  and  death  shall  leave  no  foot- 
prints there.  By  this  subject,  as  I  hope,  you 
are  prepared  to  see,  — 

1.  One  beautiful  trait  in  our  blessed  Saviour's 
character. 

He  can  teach  senators  wisdom.  Kings  reign 
by  his  aid,  and  princes  decree  justice  by  his 
teachmg.  The  wisest  man  that  ever  lived 
grows  wiser,  if  Christ  teaches  him.  The  great- 
est man  that  ever  lived  is  greater  by  sitting 
at  Christ's  feet.  The  poet  sings  more  sweetly 
if  the  spirit  of  Jesus  touches  his  harp.  The 
eloquent  man  rises  to  a  loftier  place,  if  he  bor- 
rows his  iire  from  the  altar  of  God.  The  pal- 
ace of  the  king  is  more  beautiful  for  having 
Christ  in  it,  and  the  hall  of  legislation  is  more 
honored  if  he  presides  in  it.  He  walks  among 
the  stately  buildings  of  the  great  city,  and 
makes  the  air  purer,  and  the  rich  people  bet- 
ter ;  but  he  goes   to  the  cottage,  and   sows   by 


Lkct.  IV.]  GATHERED  LILIES.  91 

Christ's  visits.  Second  lesson  learned. 

the  side  of  the  door  a  plant  called  Contentment, 
and  it  grows  and  covers  the  poor  man's  cot- 
tage, and  makes  all  within  happy.  He  comes 
to  the  bed  of  the  sick,  and  leaves  an  angel 
there,  whose  name  is  Submission,  and  the  feeble 
one  weeps  no  more  !  He  comes  to  the  little 
child,  and  becomes  his  companion,  and  that 
"  little  child  may  die  an  hundred  years  old." 
He  comes  into  his  garden,  and  there  gathers 
the  lilies  which  he  places  in  his  garden  above 
for  ever !  Just  as  well  fitted  to  be  the  child's 
friend,  as  if  he  thought  only  of  him  and  planned 
only  for  him ! 

2.  We  all  see  duties  that  fall  upon  us. 
Ministers  must  not  neglect  the  lambs  of  the 
flock.  They  must  think  much  of  the  children, 
and  pray  for  them,  and  see  that  they  are  faith- 
fully instructed,  because  these  are  the  lilies 
which  Christ  comes  to  gather. 

Parents  must  not  grieve  too  much,  or  think 


92  GATHERED   LILIES.  [Lect.  IV. 

Parents.  'leachers.  Children. 

the  little  ones  are  lost  which  Christ  takes  from 
their  arms,  for  they  are  gathered  lilies  !  They 
must  not  fail  to  train  up  their  families  faith- 
fully and  prayerfully,  because  from  these  he 
will  yet  gather  his  lilies. 

Sabbath-school  teachers !  consider  the  lilies  ! 
They  are  for  you  to  water  and  nurture  and 
cultivate.  No  fairer  flowers  grow  in  all  the 
garden  of  God,  —  none  that  Christ  thinks  more 
of,  —  none  whom  he  loves  more  !  I  hear  him 
say  to  you,  "  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come 
unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is 
the  kingdom  of  God." 

Children  !  There  is  not  one  among  you  all 
of  whom  Christ  does  not  think.  The  Hly ! 
How  easily  soiled  !  How  worthless  when 
ruined  !  So  does  sin  look  horridly  on  a  child  ! 
You  must  not  use  profane  words,  nor  do  bad 
deeds,  nor  have  wicked  thoughts,  for  ye  are 
-Christ's  lilies. 


LECTUEE    V. 

THE    LITTLE    SHIP. 

And  he  spake  to  his  disciples,  that  a  small  ship  should  wait 
on  him.  —  Mark  iii.  9. 

Contents.  —  A  curious  family.  Curious  birds.  The  owner.  A  strange 
supposition.  What  is  power?  Life  of  Christ.  The  birds  a  text.  How 
the  birds  live.  The  liUes.  Christ's  servants.  Peter  and  the  fish.  The 
fish  is  Christ's.  The  little  ship.  How  the  boat  was  made.  How  long  in 
building  it.  Christ  riding.  The  wild  ass.  A  quiet  servant.  The  young 
choir.  A  chair  provided.  A  mountain  a  servant.  Servants  always  ready. 
The  sick  wait  for  him.  The  river  Jordan.  Angels  are  servants.  Two 
times  of  need.  The  garden  of  agony.  The  angel's  aid.  Specimens  of 
heaven.  Conversation  of  heaven.  Spirits  wait  on  Christ.  A  tomb 
waiting  on  him.  A  wonder!  Many  servants.  A  great  Saviour.  Heaven 
waits  on  Christ.  Harvesters.  All  things  are  servants.  Servants  for  ever. 
The  little  child  called. 

My  dear  children,  I  once  went  into  a  gentle- 
man's grounds  on  which  he  had  all  kinds  of 
forest-trees  that  would  grow  in  this  climate, 
all  kinds  of  shrubs  and  flowers,  and  all  kinds 
of  fruit-trees.  And  then  he  had  a  great  yard 
in  which  were  deer,  and  curious  animals,  pea- 


96  THE  LITTLE   SHIP.  [Lect.  V. 

A  curious  family.  Curious  birds.  The  owner. 

cocks  and  fowls,  and  all  kinds  of  doves.  Some 
of  these  he  kept  because  they  had  such  strange 
voices  and  made  such  awful  noises ;  some  be- 
cause they  were  so  beautiful  in  form  or  color ; 
some  because  they  were  so  strange  in  shape. 
Some  of  the  doves  had  curious  tails,  some 
curious  feathers,  and  some  seemed  to  have  great, 
huge  breasts,  as  if  they  had  a  small  pillow 
under  their  feathers.  Then  he  had  many  kinds 
of  geese  and  ducks  diving  and  tumbling  in  a 
little  pond.  Then  he  had  horses,  great  ones  and 
little  ones,  and  many  other  animals  and  birds. 
Now  you  say,  this  must  be  a  very  rich  man. 
And  so  I  have  no  doubt  he  is.  God  has  given 
him  a  great  deal  of  money.  Whether  he  ought 
to  spend  it  in  this  way,  when  there  are  so  many 
poor  children  who  need  homes  and  schools  and 
books,  is  a  question  you  may  think  of.  But 
would  you  not  love  to  have  all  these  things  for 
your  own  \     So  many  playthings  \ 


Lect.  v.]  the  little  SHIP.  97 

A  strange  supposition.  What  is  power? 

But  suppose,  now,  that  this  rich  man  had  the 
power  to  make  these  creatures  all  do  just  as  he 
pleased ;  so  that,  when  he  wanted,  the  horses 
would  come  up  to  the  door  of  themselves ; 
and  when  he  wanted,  the  hens  would  run  and 
lay  their  eggs,  and  geese  would  scream,  and  the 
doves  coo,  and  the  birds  sing,  and  the  fish  leap 
about,  and  the  trees  rustle  their  leaves,  and  the 
flowers  open  and  smile  on  him,  and  the  fruiS 
tree  drop  its  ripe  fruit  just  at  the  moment  he 
wanted  it ;  and  the  duck  would  lead  oif  just  as 
many  little  ducklings  as  he  wanted ;  and  the 
birds  would  fly  at  his  command,  and  the  deer 
leap  before  him,  and  the  peacock  spread  his  tail 
just  when  he  wanted  him  to  do  it !  And  all 
as  if  these  creatures  were  his  servants  to  wait 
on  him,  and  to  do  just  what  and  just  when 
he  wanted  !  Would  he  not  be  a  very  great  and 
a  very  rich  man '?  Would  he  not  have  what  we 
call  a  great  deal  of  power  ? 


98  THE  LITTLE   SHIP.  [Lect.  V. 

Life  of  Christ.  The  birds  a  text. 

In  the  four  Gospels  which  have  been  written 
by  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke,  and  John,  we  have  an 
account  of  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  was  said 
of  him,  that  all  things  should  be  put  under  his 
feet;  that  all  things  should  be  his  servants. 
Now  let  us   see  how  this  was. 

At  a  certain  time  Christ  wanted  to  teach  his 
disciples  not  to  be  over-anxious  about  what  they 
should  eat,  or  what  they  should  drink,  or  how 
they  should  be  clothed.  (Matthew  vi.  25  -  34.) 
Just  then  he  wanted  some  birds  from  which  he 
could  instruct  them,  and,  behold !  the  birds  are 
there  !  He  points  to  a  flock  of  birds  feeding 
near  by^  —  contented,  happy,  and  free  from  care. 
"  Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air ;  for  they  sow  not, 
neither  do  they  reap  nor  gather  into  barns,  yet 
your  Heavenly  Father  feedeth  them  !  Are  ye 
not  much  better  than  they "? "  The  storms 
would  come,  and  the  cold  winds  would  blow, 
and  the  snow  and  ice  would  fall.     They  have 


Lect.  v.]  the  little  SHIP.  99 

How  the  birds  live.  The  lilies. 


no  wheat  laid  up  in  the  storehouse.  They  have 
no  Avarm  home  provided.  What  will  they  do  ? 
Ah !  the  same  great  Power  that  brought  them  to 
the  road-side  just  at  the  moment  he  wanted 
them  to  preach  from,  will  take  care  of  them ! 
They  do  not  know  how  to  plough  or  sow  or 
reap.  They  have  not  mind  enough  nor  strength 
enough  to  sow  or  reap ;  but  God  will  take  care 
of  them.  He  has  already  made  the  tree  to 
grow  in  which  they  shall  be  sheltered.  He 
knows  just  where  every  worm  and  every  seed 
will  be  found  when  they  are  hungry.  So  when 
he  wanted  flowers  to  preach  about,  behold,  the 
lilies  stand  in  the  field  just  by,  and  he  points  to 
them !  What  a  multitude !  How  they  hang, 
all  painted  and  dotted  and  striped  and  beauti- 
ful! Are  his  friends  afraid  they  will  want  for 
clothing  ?  "  Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how 
they  grow ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin, 
and  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  Solomon  in  all  his 

7 


100  THE   LITTLE   SHIP.  [Lect.  V. 

Christ's  servants.  Peter  and  the  fish. 

glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these ! " 
What  a  lesson  does  he  teach  ^  But  think  how 
the  lilies  were  there,  standing  silent  and  still, 
like  servants,  before  their  Master,  just  at  the 
time  and  place  that  Christ  wanted  them.  They 
were  all  his  servants. 

At  another  time  men  came  to  Christ  to  collect 
taxes.  He  had  no  money.  He  had  not  been 
anxious  about  it.  But  now  when  wanted, 
where  shall  he  get  it  I  He  tells  Peter,  one  of 
his  friends,  to  go  down  to  the  lake  and  throw  in 
his  fish-hook,  and  the  first  fish  that  he  catches 
shall  have  in  his  mouth  just  the  piece  of  money 
which  he  wanted.  How  beautiful !  Who 
dropped  that  money  into  the  lake  ]  How  long 
had  it  been  lying  on  the  bottom  of  the  lake  ] 
What  made  the  fish  pick  it  up  ?  And  when  the 
fish  found  that  it  was  not  food,  ^\h.y  did  he  not 
spit  it  out]  How  came  he  to  bite  at  Peter's 
hook,  when  he  had  that  money  in  his  mouth  ? 


Lect.  v.]  the  little  SHIP.  101 

The  fish  is  Clirist's.  The  little  ship. 

Who  can  answer  these  questions'?  But  we 
know  the  fish  was  a  servant  of  Christ,  to  wait 
on  him,  just  as  really  as  a  man  would  be,  whom 
he  should  tell  to  go  and  get  the  money  out  of  a 
drawer.  All  the  fish  of  the  great  sea  belong  to 
Christ,  and  there  is  not  one  of  them  which  he 
does  not  feed,  and  not  one  that  is  not  his  servant 
to  wait  on  him. 

At  another  time,  when  the  great  multitude 
of  people  were  crowding  around  Christ,  there 
was  no  place  for  him  to  stand  and  preach,  and 
no  place  to  which  he  could  go  to  pray.  So  he 
spake  to  his  disciples  that  a  little  ship  should 
wait  on  him.  Now  this  little  boat  waited  on 
Christ  to  be  his  servant.  But  see  how  many 
things  had  to  be  done  to  get  the  servant  ready ! 
The  tree  out  of  which  it  was  made  had  to  be 
planted  and  watched  over  many,  many  years, 
so  that  no  worm  should  kill  it  at  the  roots,  so 
that  no  wind  should  break  it  at  the  top,  so  that 


102  THE  LITTLE  SHIP.  ILect.  V. 

How  the  boat  made.         How  long  in  building  it.         Christ  riding. 

no  lightning  should  crush  it  into  splinters.  It 
had  to  grow  into  a  great  tree,  and  then  it  had  to 
be  made  into  boards,  and  a  boat-builder  had  to 
be  ready,  and  the  iron  for  the  nails  had  to  be 
dug  out  of  the  earth  and  all  made  ready ;  and 
the  knees  which  made  the  boat  hold  together 
had  to  grow,  and  everything  got  ready  to  build 
her.  And  when  all  made,  she  must  be  there 
ready,  and  the  disciples  must  be  fishermen  so  as 
to  know  how  to  manage  a  boat;  and  when 
Christ  spoke  to  them  to  have  the  little  ship  wait 
on  him,  they  had  to  be  ready  and  willing 
to  obey  him !  Thus  you  see  it  took  a  long 
time  to  get  this  servant  ready  to  wait  on  Christ ; 
but  when  he  was  ready  to  use  it,  the  little  ship 
was  all  ready  for  him  ! 

You  remember  the  beautiful  account  of  our 
Saviour's  riding  into  Jerusalem,  do  you  not? 
One  of  the  Prophets  had  foretold,  a  long,  long 
time  before  Christ  was  born,  that  he  should  be 


Lect.  v.]  the  little  SHIP.  103 

The  wild  ass.  A  quiet  servant. 

SO  meek  that  he  would  ride  upon  an  ass's  colt. 
When  the  time  came,  he  had  no  ass.  He  was 
too  poor  to  own  one.  So  he  sent  his  disciples 
to  borrow  one.  They  found  him  tied  w^here  two 
roads  came  together.  They  took  him,  and  the 
owner  made  no  difficulty.  He  had  no  saddle, 
and  never  had  anybody  ever  sat  on  his  back 
before.  He  was  a  young,  wild,  unbroken  crea- 
ture. But  Christ  wanted  him,  and  he  was  ready. 
He  wanted  a  saddle,  and  his  disciples  take  off 
their  garments  and  put  them  on  the  colt's  back. 
And  now  a  great  multitude  go  before  and 
behind,  and  they  sing  and  shout  very  loud ;  but 
the  ass  does  not  run  or  feel  afraid  !  They  cut 
down  bushes  and  throw  them  all  around  the 
ass,  but  he  does  not  feel  afraid.  He  waits  on 
Christ  and  is  not  "  ashamed,"  nor  is  he  "  con- 
founded," nor  does  he  "  make  haste."  Thus  he 
can  make  the  wild  ass  obey  him  and  wait 
on  him  to  carry  him,  or  he  can  make  him  speak 


104  THE  LITTLE   SHIP.  [Lect.  V. 

The  young  choir.  A  chair  provided. 

and  rebuke  the  madness  of  a  prophet.  You 
will  remember,  too,  that,  at  this  very  time  when 
the  ass  waited  on  him,  there  were  others  also  to 
do  it.  The  multitude  shouted,  "  Blessed  is  he 
that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord !  "  and 
when  he  got  to  the  Temple,  there  was  a  great 
company  of  little  children.  They  were  all  there, 
and  they  were  all  able  to  sing,  "  Hosannah  in 
the  highest ! "  Thus  you  see  that  the  most 
stupid  creature  in  the  world  —  the  ass  —  and  the 
most  beautiful  thing  in  the  world  —  the  little 
child  —  can  alike  wait  on  Christ  and  be  his 
servant.  He  has  only  to  say  the  word,  and 
these  shall  all  wait  on  him ! 

Do  these  children  remember  how  his  disciples 
once  came  around  Christ,  and  asked  him  about 
the  Temple,  and  Jerusalem,  and  the  end  of  the 
world  1  He  wanted  a  place  to  sit  down  in  plain 
sight  of  the  Temple  and  of  the  city,  where  he 
and  they  could  see  it  all.     Where  should  he  go  1 


Lkct.  v.]  the  little  SHIP.  105 

A  mountain  a  servant.  Servants  always  ready. 

There  was  no  gentleman's  country-seat,  where  he 
would  be  invited  to  go  up  into  the  piazza  and 
view  the  scene  !  There  was  no  beautiful  car- 
riage to  take  them  round  and  show  them  all  the 
city;  and  yet  there  was  a  place  prepared.  A 
little  east  of  the  city  rose  up  the  Mount  of 
Olivet ;  and  there,  under  the  spreading  branches 
of  the  olive-tree,  the  Saviour  sat  down  and 
looked  down  directly  on  the  Temple  and  on  the 
city.  A  thousand  men  could  not  have  built  so 
good  a  platform  for  him  to  sit  on.  No  lofty 
building  could  have  been  raised  so  convenient. 
This  mountain  was  the  servant  of  Jesus  Christ. 
It  waited  for  him  as  really  as  the  little  ship ; 
and  when  of  old  he  laid  (see  first  chapter  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Colossians)  the  foundations  of 
this  mountain,  he  knew  when  and  how  he 
would  sit  down  upon  it  and  describe  the  ruin 
of  Jerusalem  and  the  end  of  the  world.  He 
always  found  just  such  servants  to  wait  on  him 


106  THE  LITTLE  SHIP.  [Lect.  V. 

The  sick  wait  for  him.        The  river  Jordan.        Angels  are  servants. 

as  he  needed.  Did  he  want  to  show  that  he 
was  Lord  of  the  Sabbath  and  could  heal  diseases, 
—  even  such  as  nobody  else  could  cure  ]  Why, 
there  was  the  Pool  of  Bethesda,  and  there  was 
the  great  multitude  of  sick  folks,  and  there  was 
the  man  who  had  been  sick  thirty-eight  years. 
And  these  seemed  all  to  be  waiting  for  him  to 
come  and  show  his  great  power  and  mercy. 

He  wanted  to  be  baptized  and  "  fulfil  all 
righteousness,"  and  all  things  wait  for  him. 
There  is  the  river  Jordan,  and  its  waters  are 
waiting  for  him.  There  is  John  the  Baptist, 
wondering  why  Jesus  should  come  to  him  ;  and 
these  all  wait  on  him,  like  the  little  ship. 
There,  too,  was  the  Holy  Spirit  himself,  coming 
down  in  the  form  of  a  dove  and  resting  on  him, 
and  a  voice  from  heaven  saying,  "  This  is  my 
beloved  Son ! "  These  all  wait  on  Christ ! 
There  were  two  places  and  two  times  when 
Christ  needed  help  from  the  angels.     One  was 


I^ECT.  v.]  THK  LITTLE  SHIP.  107 


Two  times  of  need.  The  garden  of  agony. 

when  he  had  heen  out  in  the  desert  among  the 
wild  beasts,  fasting  and  getting  his  soul  ready 
to  begin  his  work.  It  was  before  he  preached 
hardly  a  single  sermon.  After  being  worn  out 
with  fasting  forty  days  and  forty  nights,  and 
tempted  till  he  was  very  feeble,  —  probably  too 
feeble  to  walk,  —  and  when  he  had  nothing  to 
eat,  —  then  the  angels  came  to  him  and  brought 
him  food.  They  "  ministered  unto  him."  The 
other  time  and  place  was  the  night  before  his 
death.  He  knew  that  to-morrow  he  must  die. 
So  he  went  out  into  a  garden,  where  were  trees 
and  shadows,  and  there  knelt  down  in  prayer. 
He  wanted  a  retired  place,  and  this  garden  was 
ready  for  him.  He  was  in  great  agony  of  soul, 
and  wrestled  with  God  in  prayer  till  bloody 
sweat  rolled  from  his  face  and  fell  in  great  drops 
upon  the  ground.  Then  his  strength  was  gone. 
Then  he  was  fainting.  His  disciples  were 
asleep,    and    there    was    none    to    hold    up    the 


108  THE  LITTLE   SHIP.  [Lect.  V. 

The  angel's  aid.  Specimens  of  heaven. 

head  of  the  Saviour,  and  so  an  angel  came  and 
"  strengthened  him."  Perhaps  he  whispered 
some  sweet  texts  out  of  the  Bible  in  his  ear. 
Perhaps  he  brought  some  message  of  comfort 
from  the  Eternal  Father.  Perhaps  he  told  him 
that  his  prayer,  so  earnest  and  so  tearful,  had 
been  answered.  We  know  not  whether  he 
helped  him  by  holding  up  his  weary  head,  by 
giving  him  a  cup  of  cold  w^ater,  or  by  whisper- 
ing comfort  to  his  soul.  We  only  know  that  he 
needed  the  help  of  angels,  and  that  they  waited 
on  him  like  the  little  ship,  to  do  what  he  might 
wish  or  say. 

Once,  when  on  earth,  Christ  wanted  to  show 
men  a  specimen  of  the  people  who  live  in 
heaven.  So  he  took  James  and  John  and  Peter 
and  went  with  them  up  a  very  high  mountain. 
And  there,  away  from  men,  and  with  these 
witnesses,  he  himself  put  on  the  garments 
of    heaven.     How   his   face    shone !     How   his 


Lect.  v.]  the  little  SHIP.  109 

Conversation  of  heaven.  Spirits  wait  on  Christ. 

garments  hung  like  melted  silver  upon  him ! 
How  light  seemed  to  pour  out  and  flash  out 
from  his  whole  person  !  Then  soft  footsteps  are 
heard,  and  two  men,  !Moses  and  Elijah  the 
Prophet,  come  to  meet  him.  They  also  come 
in  the  robes  of  heaven !  How  glad  they  are 
to  meet  him  !  How  honored  above  all  in  heav- 
en, in  having  this  opportunity  to  meet  him! 
They  do  not  talk  about  banks  or  ships  or  fac- 
tories or  stores  or  business  or  gains  or  money; 
they  do  not  talk  about  places  of  honor ;  —  but 
they  talk  about  his  "  death  "  which  he  was  to 
die  at  Jerusalem !  He  wanted  to  talk  with 
somebody  about  it ;  for  he  could  not  talk  with 
his  disciples.  They  could  not  understand  it. 
They  could  not  believe  he  would  —  so  good  and 
so  holy  a  man  —  be  put  to  death  by  wicked 
men!  But  Moses  and  Elijah  understood  it;  and 
when  he  wanted  to  talk  about  it,  they  were 
there,  all  ready.     He  knew  just  where  to  find 


110  THE  LITTLE   SHIP.  [Lect.  V. 

A  tomb  waiting  on  him.  A  wonder ! 

them,  and  just  when  they  would  come.  They 
were  like  the  little  ship  that  waited  upon  him. 

And  when  he  came  to  die,  he  needed  a  tomb, 
lie  wanted  to  borrow  one,  —  not  as  we  want 
ours,  till  the  resurrection  day,  —  but  for  only 
three  days.  Where  will  they  find  one '?  They 
have  taken  down  his  body,  and  are  in  haste 
to  put  it  somewhere.  Just  then  a  rich  man 
recollects  that  he  has  just  been  hewing  a  new 
tomb  out  of  a  solid  rock,  and  that  it  is  in 
his  garden  near  by.  A  new  tomb,  and  in  a 
solid  rock !  No  man  had  ever  been  buried  in 
it.  He  had  never  needed  it  before;  but  now, 
at  the  very  moment  when  needed,  the  tomb  is 
all  ready !  It  is  done  and  waiting  for  him ! 
The  rock  was  created  and  kept  and  got  ready 
for  this  very  purpose !  Like  the  little  ship,  it 
waited  upon  him ! 

How  strange  it  is !  Christ  was  so  poor  that 
he  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head,  and  yet  you 


Lect.  v.]  the  little  ship.  Ill 

Many  servant?.  A  great  Saviour. 

see  how  his  servants  were  around  him  just  when 
he  needed  them !  It  was  as  if  he  spake  that 
they  shoukl  wait  on  him,  and  they  did !  He 
had  his  servants  in  the  air,  in  the  sea,  in  the 
fields,  by  the  wayside,  in  the  river,  in  the  moun- 
tains, in  the  solitary  garden,  in  the  great  city,  in 
the  grave,  and  everywhere.  They  came  around 
him,  the  lilies,  the  birds,  the  wild  ass,  the  fish, 
the  boat,  the  men,  the  angels,  and  even  the 
Spirit  of  God,  just  when  he  wanted  them.  The 
waters  would  bear  him  up,  so  that  he  could  walk 
on  them,  to  go  to  his  friends,  and  out  of  raging 
storm  he  could  call  the  sweet  calm,  and  it 
came ! 

It  is  a  great  thing  to  have  a  Saviour  so  great 
that  he  can  feed  us  every  dny  of  our  life,  clothe 
us  all  our  days,  —  who  can  teach  us  in  our 
ignorance,  be  with  us  when  we  are  sick,  and  get 
our  coffin  ready  for  us  when  we  die !  But  this 
is   but   a    small   part    of   what   Christ    can   do 


112  THE   LITTLE   SHIP.  [Lect.  V. 

Heaven  waits  on  Christ.         Harvesters.         All  things  are  servants. 

for  every  little  boy  and  every  little  girl  in  this 
house.  He  has  angels  that  he  can  send,  when 
you  die,  to  carry  your  soul  to  him  far  up  in  the 
heaven  of  heavens.  He  has  a  place  there,  —  a 
beautiful  home  there,  for  every  one  who  loves 
him.  The  gates  of  heaven  are  his  servants, 
and  wait  upon  him,  and  open  to  let  his  friends 
come  in  when  they  come  to  die.  He  has  the 
grave  of  every  one  prepared,  where  he  puts  the 
body  to  wait  till  he  comes  back  to  earth ;  and  he 
has  an  angel  whose  trumpet,  at  the  resurrection, 
will  wake  up  every  sleeper  in  the  grave,  and 
many  angels  besides,  who  will  go  out  as  the 
farmer  gathers  in  his  harvest,  and  bring  his  own 
people  all  to  heaven.  These  all  wait  on  him 
like  the  little  ship  ! 

The  great  trees  wait  on  him,  and  shelter  his 
birds,  and  give  shade  to  his  flocks,  and  fruit 
to  men,  and  timber  for  their  houses,  or  timber 
for  their  ships,   and  fuel   for  their  fires.     The 


Lect.  V.J  THE  LITTLE   SHIP.  113 

Servants  for  ever. 

mighty  rivers  are  his,  and  they  run  in  the 
channels  he  has  made  for  them,  and  they  water 
all  the  lands  where  they  flow.  The  rocks  are 
all  his,  and  he  uses  one  to  make  him  a  tomb, 
or  others  to  make  him  a  church,  or  to  stand 
as  a  wall  to  keep  the  fields  where  his  harvests 
grow,  or  to  stand  over  the  grave  and  say  a  few 
words  about  the  dead  beneath.  The  silver  and 
the  gold  are  his,  and  he  gives  it  and  takes  it 
away  just  as  he  pleases,  uses  it  to  print  his 
word,  to  send  out  his  ministers,  or  to  teach  the 
little  child  in  the  Sabbath  school.  The  Sabbath 
is  his  servant,  sent  to  speak  in  a  soft,  solemn 
voice,  and  call  men  to  him.  The  Bible  is  his 
servant,  —  sent  out  to  instruct  all  the  world, 
and  lead  all  men  to  Christ.  All  the  angels  in 
heaven  and  all  the  robes  of  white  there,  and  all 
the  crowns  of  life  there,  and  all  the  harps  of 
gold  there,  are  his  servants.  They  all  wait  on 
him.     And  so  will  the  ages  of  eternity  all  pass 


114  THE  LITTLE   SHIP.  [Leot.  V. 

The  little  child  called. 

before  him,  for  he  "  holds  the  key  of  death  and 
hell,  and  he  openeth  and  no  man  shutteth,  and 
shutteth  and  no  man  openeth." 

O  children  !  he  speaks,  that  every  little  child 
should  wait  on  him,  and  be  his  friend  and 
servant.  And  if  that  little  ship  that  waited 
on  him  was  honored,  how  much  more  will 
that  little  boy  or  that  little  girl  be  honored, 
who  obeys  him  and  loves  him  !  Who  of  you 
will  be  thus  honored,  —  to  have  him  bless  you 
now,  and  bless  you  for  ever  in  heaven  ] 


LECTUE,E     yi. 


THE   GREAT   KIXG. 


For  I  am,  a  great  King,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  —  Mal.  i.  14. 

Contents.  —  A  rock.  Tree.  What  makes  a  great  king  ?  First  thing. 
Territory.  ^lagnificence.  God  a  great  King.  How  large  his  kingdom  ? 
What  God  governs.  The  song  of  all  creation.  Second  mark  of  greatness. 
Frederick  the  Great.  Earthly  king  weak.  The  breakfast  table.  How 
many  to  be  fed!  Different  creatures  hungry.  A  tree  and  its  leaves.  One 
world !  Third  mark  of  greatness.  The  bee  and  the  squirrel.  The  echo 
of  the  lake.  Echoes  of  conscience.  The  commandments  echoed.  Xerxes 
the  king.  No  mistakes.  The  tree  on  the  island.  Fourth  mark  of  great- 
ness. God's  kingdom  old.  The  old  rocks.  God's  kingdom  always  new. 
First  inference.  Gold  lost.  The  dying  saint.  Second  inference.  Fault- 
finding. David's  troubles  and  song.  Who  can  contend  with  Him  ?  A 
scene  in  the  Alps.    The  mountain-slide.     The  ruin.     Child  and  feather. 

Children,  when  we  say  we  have  stood  on 
a  rock,  that  is  not  saying  whether  the  rock 
was  large  or  small,  round  or  square,  marble  or 
something  else.  When  we  say  that  we  have 
admired  a  tree,  it  is  not  telling  whether  the 
tree  was   great  or   small,  high  or  low,  straight 

8 


11(3  THE   GREAT   KING.  [Lect.  VI. 

A  Tree.  What  makes  a  great  king  ? 

or  crooked,  ash  or  maple.  Human  language 
is  so  poor,  that  one  word  cannot  describe  a 
thing,  and  so  we  use  adjectives,  and  use  two  or 
more  words.  When  we  speak  of  a  king,  it  is 
not  saying  whether  he  is  old  or  young,  wise 
or  foolish,  strong  or  weak,  honored  or  despised. 
But  when  we  speak  of  a  great  king,  we  mean 
a  great  deal.  He  need  not  be  great  in  stature, 
or  great   in   size.     But  to   be   a  great  king,  — 

1.  He  must  have  a  great  kingdom. 

2.  He  must  have  great  power. 

3.  He  must  have  great  wisdom  to  manage 
his  kingdom. 

4.  It  must  be  an  old  kingdom. 

Let  us  see  now  if  God  has  all  these,  so  that 
he  may  well  say,  "I  am  a  great  Kingl" 

1.  Has   God  a  great  hingdom  to  reign  over? 

Sometimes  we  read  of  a  poor,  ignorant  Af- 
rican, who  in  his  own  country  is  called  a  king, 
though  he   has  not  a  suit   of  clothes  to  wear, 


Lect.  VI.]  THE   GREAT   KING.  117 

First  thing.  Territory. 

a  decent  hovel  to  live  in,  or  a  meal  of  food  fit 
to  be  eaten. 

Sometimes  men  have  the  title  of  king  when 
their  dominion  is  small  and  poor,  —  a  mere 
handful  of  half-starved  people.  But  to  be  a 
great  king,  the  man  must  have  a  large  territory. 
It  must  stretch  over  rivers  and  mountains,  and 
contain  forests  of  wood,  mines  of  h*on,  rocks 
and  marble,  clay  and  sand  ;  it  must  have  cities 
and  villages,  land  for  wheat  and  grain,  and 
cattle  and  wool  ;  it  must  have  harbors  and 
lakes,  canals  and  roads.  A  great  kingdom, 
too,  must  have  a  great  multitude  of  people,  to 
cut  down  the  forests,  to  dig  out  the  ore  and 
make  it  into  iron,  to  cut  the  rocks  and  marble 
into  stones  shaped  for  building,  to  turn  the 
clay  into  brick  and  the  sand  into  glass,  to  till 
the  land  and  make  it  yield  food  and  clothing, 
to  build  the  cities  and  factories  and  ships,  and 
manage  them  all,  to  dig  the  canals,  and  carry 


118  THE   GREAT   KING.  [Lect.  VI. 

Magnificence.  God  a  great  King. 

things  on  them  through  the  country.  It  must 
have  men  to  sail  the  ships,  to  manage  the 
navy,  to  make  armies  to  watch  and  protect  all 
these  lives  and  all  this  property.  A  great  king, 
too,  has  colonies  where  a  part  of  his  subjects 
may  live  and  trade.  He  will  also  have  a  treas- 
ury which  is  never  exhausted,  and  then,  as 
the  representative  of  all  this  multitude  of  peo- 
ple and  of  all  this  property,  he  will  have  a 
splendid  palace,  and  a  magnificent  court,  and 
will  be  the  centre  of  all  honors  and  offices, 
and  powder   and  glory. 

A  great  king  reigns  over  one  nation  only. 
God  reigns  over  all  nations  and  languages  and 
tongues.  No  matter  whether  they  are  white 
or  black,  on  islands  or  continents,  savage  or 
civilized,  —  no  matter  what  language  they  speak, 
whether  they  live  in  cities  or  in  caves  of  the 
earth,  w^hether  on  the  land  or  on  the  water, 
he  is   King  over  all.     Other  kings  have  but  a 


Lkct.  VI.]  THE   GREAT   KING.  119 


How  large  his  kingdom  ?  What  God  governs. 

small  part  of  the  earth  for  their  kingdom,  but 
Gocl  is  over  all,  —  all  that  live  on  the  earth 
are  his.  So  are  the  sun,  and  the  moon,  and 
the  stars,  and  all  the  bright  worlds  that  sparkle 
in  the  sky.  If  you  could  fly  as  fast  as  the 
light,  and  go  from  star  to  star,  and  from  world  to 
world,  till  you  had  travelled  thousands  of  years, 
and  if  you  should  find  all  these  worlds  filled 
with  people,  multitudes  and  multitudes  which 
no  man  could  number,  they  would  all  belong 
to  the  great  King  !  Perhaps  all  the  stars  that 
the  greatest  telescope  has  ever  yet  revealed, 
are  no  more  to  what  lie  beyond  them,  than 
one  leaf  plucked  from  the  unmeasured  forest 
would  be  to  all  the  rest,  —  no  more  than  one 
grain  of  sand  picked  up  on  the  sea-shore  would 
be  to  all  the  rest.  Angels  there  are ;  princi- 
palities and  powers  and  dominions  there  are ; 
men  and  devils  there  are ;  and  God  is  over 
all,  and  governs  all.     But  that  is  not  all.     The 


120  THE    GREAT  KING.  [Lect.  YI. 

The  song  of  all  creation. 

suns  and  the  stars  that  move  in  the  heavens, 
the  oceans  that  swell  and  roar,  the  mountams 
that  rise  up  high  towards  heaven,  the  rivers 
that  flow,  the  brooks  that  murmur,  tlie  cattle 
that  feed  on  the,  ground,  the  birds  that  move 
on  the  wing,  the  fish  that  move  with  the  fin, 
and  every  wind  that  shakes  the  leaf,  every  atom 
that  is  anywhere  found,  —  all  are  governed 
by  him.  He  reigns  over  all,  and  therefore  are 
all  his  works  called  on  to  praise  him.  What 
a  shout  would  fill  the  universe  if  all  the  works 
and  creatures  should  thus  rise  up  and  worship 
their  king !  "  Praise  ye  the  Lord  from  the 
heavens  ;  praise  him  in  the  heights.  Praise  ye 
him,  all  his  angels;  praise  ye  him,  all  liis  hosts. 
Praise  ye  him,  sun  and  moon  ;  praise  him,  all 
ye  stars  of  light.  Praise  him,  ye  heavens  of 
heavens,  and  ye  waters  that  are  above  the 
heavens.  Praise  the  Lord  from  the  earth,  ye 
dragons    and    all    deeps ;    fire    and    hail ;    snow 


Lect.  YL]  the   great  KING.  121 

The  song  of  all  creation.  Second  mark  of  greatness. 

and  vapors ;  stormy  wind  fulfilling  liis  word ; 
mountains  and  all  hills  ;  fruitful  trees  and  all 
cedars ;  beasts  and  all  cattle ;  creeping  things 
and  flying  fowl ;  kings  of  the  earth  and  all 
people ;  princes  and  all  judges  of  the  earth  ; 
both  young  men  and  maidens,  old  men  and 
children.  Let  them  praise  the  name  of  the 
Lord  ;  for  his  name  alone  is  excellent ;  his 
glory  is  above  the  earth  and  heaven  ! "  God 
not  onlv  has  all  these  creatures  and  thinGfs 
under  him,  but  he  governs  them ;  so  that  the 
stars  move  and  shine,  the  ocean  rolls,  the  winds 
blow,  the  seasons  change,  diseases  and  deaths 
come  and  go,  and  the  storm  that  rages,  and 
the  worm  that  blights  the  tree  or  eats  the  root, 
and  the  insect  that  opens  its  wing,  and  the 
mote  that  gets  into  your  eye,  —  everything  is 
his  servant.     Is  he  not  a  great  King] 

2.  A  great  king  must  have  great  jyoiver. 

It  is   often  so  —  (it  was   so   when  the  great 


122  THE   GREAT   KING.  [Lect.  VI. 

Frederick  the  Great.  Earthly  king  weak. 

Persian  king  boasted  of  his  one  hundred  and 
twenty-seven  provinces,  —  it  was  so  when  old 
Rome  boasted  that  she  had  one  military  road 
over  four  thousand  miles  long)  —  I  say  it  is 
often  so  that,  the  larger  a  kingdom  becomes, 
the  weaker  it  is.  The  arms  of  the  king  are  not 
long  enough  to  reach  it  all.  His  eye  cannot 
see  it  all.  His  power  cannot  control  it  all  ; 
and  so  it  falls  in  pieces  by  its  own  expansion. 
The  span  of  the  bridge  must  not  be  too  long,  or 
it  falls  by  its  own  weight.  A  tree  must  not 
grow  too  tall,  or  it  is  crushed  by  its  own  weight. 
It  is  said  that  Frederick  of  Prussia  used  to 
read  all  his  letters  —  about  three  bushels  — 
daily,  himself.  But  it  wearied  and  worried 
him,  and  his  one  mind  could  not  do  what 
was  best  for  all  under  his  power.  A  king 
sometimes  loses  a  battle  for  the  want  of  money, 
or  because  he  has  too  few  soldiers,  or  because 
his  officers  are  not  suitable.     Sometimes  a  fam- 


Lect.  YI.3  THE   Gr.EAT  KING.  123 

The  breakfast  table. 

ine  comes  and  destroys  his  plans ;  sometimes 
the  plague  cuts  off  his  army.  Sometimes  his 
agents  are  unfaithful  or  indolent.  He  has  to 
depend  upon  others.  He  cannot  create  men, 
nor  food,  nor  can  he  make  the  thunder  and 
the  lightning  fall  on  his  enemies.  Not  so  with 
God.  Pie  well  knows,  that  if  food  should  be 
cut  off  for  one  fortnight,  all  that  live  would 
be  dead,  and  every  creature  that  moves  would 
be  dead,  and  the  earth  would  be  turned  into 
one  mighty  graveyard.  You  awoke  this  morn- 
ing, and  came  to  your  breakfast  table,  spread 
with  good,  wholesome  food.  The  wheat  in  your 
bread  was  created  on  the  prairie  of  the  West. 
The  fish  on  your  plate  was  created  in  a  river 
in  Greenland.  The  tea  that  you  drank  was 
reared  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  in  the  interior 
of  China.  The  salt  came  from  the  ocean's  bed, 
evaporated  at  the  West  India  Island  by  the  sun. 
The   butter   was   the   grass   of  our  hills   turned 


124  THE   GRP:AT  king.  [Lkct.  vi. 

How  many  to  be  fed  !  Different  creatures  hungry. 

into  that  delicious  substance,  and  the  sugar 
ill  your  cup  came  from  the  cane  that  grew 
beyond  the  Mississippi.  All  this  was  provided 
and  created  by  God  for  one  meal,  —  for  one 
person.  But  remember  that  one  thousand  mil- 
lions of  hungry  people  awoke  this  morning, 
and  had  to  be  fed.  If  all  these  people  could 
be  made  to  sit  down  together,  they  would  fill 
five  tables,  both  sides,  running  round  the  earth 
at  her  widest  place !  And  these  tables  are  to 
be  spread  with  food  two  or  three  times  every 
day,  and  from  week  to  week,  from  year  to  year, 
and  from  age  to  age !  Then  all  the  animals, 
and  the  fowls  of  heaven,  and  the  iish  of  the 
sea,  are  thus  to  be  daily  fed;  and  God  must 
take  the  clods  of  the  earth  and  the  clouds 
of  heaven,  and  create  it  all,  and  have  it  within 
the  reach  of  all.  The  old,  worn-out  man  must 
have  somebody  provided  to  take  care  of  him. 
So  must  the  helpless  babe.     So  must  the  young 


Lect.  VI.]  THE   GREAT  KING.  125 

A  tree  and  its  leaves. 

bird,  and  so  must  the  worm  in  the  dark  ground. 
The  food  must  be  created,  and  all  must  be 
guided  to  it.  God  does  not  give  his  creatures 
checks  upon  banks  that  may  fail,  or  drafts 
upon  men  which  may  not  be  paid,  nor  call 
upon  men,  who  may  not  want  to  hear;  but 
he  creates  for  all.  He  asks  no  aid,  because 
he  does  not  need  any.  Other  kings  may  have 
pride  and  take  on  them  airs ;  but  they  cannot 
create  one  drop  of  water,  hang  one  flower  on  its 
stem,  make  one  kernel  of  wheat,  nor  one  leaf 
that  grows  in  the  forest,  seven  millions  of  which 
have  been  counted  hanging  on  a  single  tree ! 
But  God  is  everywhere,  creating  his  empire, 
upholding  it,  feeding  it,  clothing  it,  and  pro- 
viding for  it.  And  this  kingdom  all  cries  to 
him.  He  hears  the  young  raven  and  under- 
stands his  language.  And  so  does  he  the  scream 
of  the  eagle,  the  call  of  the  sea-bird,  the  chirp 
of  the  squirrel,  the  mute  language  of  the  fish, 
and  the  hum  of  the  insect. 


126  THE  GREAT  KING.  [Lect.  VI 

One  world !  Third  mark  of  greatness. 

Then  think  that  this  world  is  but  one  of 
the  smallest  that  hangs  in  the  outskirts  of  his 
dominion,  like  a  single  little  leaf  that  hangs 
over  your  garden  fence,  and  that  what  he  is  do- 
ing here,  he  is  doing  in  all  worlds,  in  all  places, 
so  that  all  other  kingdoms  seem  like  the  toys 
of  the  nursery,  through  all  his  vast  dominions, 
and  say,  Is  he  not  a  great  King  1  "  Surely^'' 
says  the  Psalmist,  "  God  is  a  great  God,  and  a 
great  King,  high  above  all  the  earth!  What 
jjower  is  lih'e  unto  his  j)Oiver  ?  and  tvho  among 
the  sons  of  the  mightg  can  he  likened  unto  the 
Lord  ?  " 

3.  A  hing,  to  he  great,  must  have  great  wisdom 
to  manage  his  kingdom. 

When  our  cold  winter  sets  in,  we  notice 
the  wild  geese  coming  from  the  north,  and 
in  a  straight  line,  which  they  follow  day  and 
niofht,  eroino:  to  the  far  south  for  the  winter. 
In  the  spring  they  wing  their  way  back  again. 


Lect.  VI.]  THE   GREAT  KING.  127 

The  bee  and  the  squirrel. 

They  have  no  map  of  their  travels,  they  find 
no  guide-board  on  the  way,  they  make  no  inqui- 
ries. Without  compass  or  chart,  they  move  on. 
It  is  God  who  guides  them,  by  an  instinct^ 
as  we  call  it,  which  is  true,  and  never  errs. 
So  he  governs  all  his  creatures  which  have 
not  reason.  They  are  all  guided  by  it  to  find 
their  food,  and  to  rear  their  young,  and  to 
protect  their  lives.  He  governs  men,  not  by 
instinct,  but  by  two  higher  gifts,  —  reason  and 
conscience.  The  bee  provides  for  the  winter, 
she  knows  not  why.  The  squirrel  feels  avari- 
cious, and  lays  up  for  the  winter,  though  he 
knows  not  why.  But  men  know  that  the  winter 
will  come,  and  so  they  lay  up  fuel  and  hay,  and 
things  which  will  be  needed.  They  know  they 
will  be  old  and  feeble  hereafter,  and  so  they  lay 
up  for  that  time.  They  are  guided  in  all  this 
by  their  reason.  But  there  is  another  power 
with  which  God  governs  men,  —  far  more  won- 
derful.    I  mean  the  conscience. 


128  THE   GKEAT  KING.  [Lect.  VI. 

The  echo  of  the  lake. 

Far  up  among  our  forests  there  are  little 
lakes,  each  a  few  miles  long,  with  here  and 
there  a  wooded  island  in  it,  and  a  long  line  of 
sandy  shore,  while  all  around  the  lake,  the  high, 
wood-covered  mountains  rise  up,  as  if  set  to 
guard  the  beautiful  sheet  of  water.  All  around, 
the  forests  shoot  up,  and  stand  in  silence.  Just 
as  the  sun  goes  dow^n,  he  brushes  the  tops  of 
the  trees  and  the  heads  of  these  mountains  with 
his  warm  tints,  and  pours  down  from  the  reflect- 
ing sky  a  light  so  soft  and  mellow  that  the 
lake  looks  like  molten  gold.  You  shoot  out  in 
your  little  boat,  and  the  silence  is  so  deep,  and 
the  waters  so  still,  that  you  are  almost  afraid  to 
dip  your  paddle  in  the  lake.  It  seems  as  if 
every  mountain  and  tree  was  watching  you,  and 
the  very  fish  leap  up  to  see  what  you  are  doing. 
Then  it  is  that  you  raise  your  voice,  loud  or 
low,  and  there  comes  back  an  echo,  if  possible 
more  distinct  than  your  words.     Every  tone  and 


Lect.  VI.]  THE  GREAT  KING.  129 


Echoes  of  conscience.  The  commandments  echoed. 

inflection  is  returned,  and  the  very  woods  and 
mountains  imitate  your  voice.  You  startle  at 
the  clear,  loud  echoes.  So  it  is,  —  I  have  often 
thought  while  listening  thus,  —  so  it  is  with  the 
human  conscience  !  God  speaks  and  says,  "  Thou 
shalt  not ! "  and  the  conscience  echoes  it  back. 
Everything  that  he  commands  or  forbids  finds 
an  echo  in  the  conscience.  The  voice  from  him 
is  answered  by  the  voice  within  us.  The  echo 
is  clear  and  full,  so  that  when  he  speaks,  it  is 
going  against  our  conscience  to  disobey.  The 
mountains  can  no  more  return  me  different 
words,  as  I  sit  in  the  little  boat  and  speak, 
than  the  conscience  can  differ  from  what  God 
commands.  And  is  not  this  a  mark  of  great 
wisdom]  Saul,  a  young  man  of  Tarsus,  per- 
secuted the  disciples  of  Christ,  but  it  was  like 
an  ox  kicking  against  a  sharp  goad,  that  hurt 
him  the  more ;  and  thus  God  governs  by  con- 
science.    The  great  king  Xerxes  once  gathered 


130  THE  GREAT  KING.  [Lect.  ^a. 

Xerxes  the  king.  No  mistakes. 

an  army  of  a  million  of  men,  with  which  to 
conquer ;  but  he  had  not  wisdom  enough  to 
carry  the  plan  through,  and  so  his  army  was 
shivered  and  destroyed.  Bonaparte  once  gath- 
ered an  army  of  four  hundred  thousand  young 
men,  and  thought  that,  with  all  his  skill  and 
wisdom  and  experience,  he  could  conquer  Rus- 
sia ;  but  alas !  it  was  all  a  mistake,  and  of  all 
that  multitude  who  followed  him,  but  a  few  ever 
returned.  He  had  not  wisdom  enough  to  carry 
out  the  plan !  But  God,  the  great  king,  never 
makes  a  mistake.  He  never  turns  back  dis- 
appointed He  never  has  to  alter  or  mend 
his  plans.  The  wisdom  which  the  wisest  man 
has,  which  all  men  have,  and  which  all  angels 
have,  comes  from  him.  If,  to  bring  about 
his  plans,  he  sometimes  takes  a  path  that  seems 
strange  to  us,  it  is  because  his  eye  sees  further 
than  ours,  and  he  walks  in  a  path  which  we 
cannot  trace.     He  who  buries  the  seed  in  the 


Lect.  VI.]  THE  GREAT  KING.  131 

The  tree  on  the  island.  Fourth  mark  of  greatness. 

ground  in  order  to  create  the  harvest,  who 
wraps  the  worm  up  in  the  leaf  in  order  to  keep 
it  through  the  long,  cold  winter,  who  leads  his 
own  Son  to  the  high  throne  of  heaven  through 
suffering  and  shame,  who  leads  his  disciples  up 
to  his  Master  through  the  dark  grave,  that  the 
light  of  heaven  may  be  more  beautiful,  —  He  is 
wise  of  heart !  On  the  leaf  that  hangs  on  the 
topmost  bough  of  the  tree  that  stands  alone  on 
the  little  island,  with  the  wide  ocean  rolling 
around  it,  there  creeps  a  little  insect.  It  has 
no  voice  that  you  could  hear.  Its  feet  are  too 
small  for  you  to  see.  And  God  has  that  little 
creature  as  much  under  his  safe  care,  as  if  it 
was  the  only  living  thing  that  He  has  to  plan 
for  in  all  his  vast  dominions ! 

4.  A  king^  to  he  greats  must  rule  an  old  king' 
dom. 

A  great  tree  must  be  a  great  while  in  grow- 
ing.    A  great  building  must  be  a  great  while 

9 


132  THE  GREAT  KING.  [Lect.  VI. 

God's  kingdom  old. 

in  going  up.  So  must  a  great  ship.  No  king, 
however  wise  or  skilful,  could  make  a  nation 
or  create  a  kingdom.  It  takes  many  genera- 
tions of  men,  and  ages  of  time,  to  do  it.  When 
a  king  comes  to  his  throne,  if  he  be  called 
great,  he  must  find  all  things  prepared,  —  the 
palace,  the  treasury,  the  officers,  the  army,  the 
roads  and  bridges  made,  the  cities  built,  the 
factories  in  operation,  the  farms  cultivated,  and 
the  multitude  of  people  all  there.  The  older 
the  kingdom  is,  usually,  it  is  the  richer,  and 
the  stronger.  Wars  have  not  been  able  to 
ruin  it,  revolutions  have  not  destroyed  it,  time 
hath  not  brought  it  to  decay. 

Now  the  kingdom  of  God  is  older  than  all 
others.  Before  there  were  any  foundations  of 
the  earth  laid,  before  a  single  star  was  hung 
in  the  heavens,  before  a  single  sun  was  lighted 
up,  the  kingdom  of  God  began.  The  morning 
stars    sang   before    his    throne,  before    a   single 


Lect.  VI.]  THE  GREAT  KING.  133 

The  old  rocks.  God's  kingdom  always  new. 

thing  lived  or  moved  in  this  lower  world. 
There  are  old  walls  and  towers  and  temples, 
crumbling  and  in  ruins,  built  by  men  ages 
ago,  we  know  not  by  whom  ;  but  the  kingdom 
of  God  is  older  than  these.  There  are  rocks 
so  old  that  they  look  as  if  they  were  made  in 
eternity ;  but  they  are  not  old  compared  with 
God.  Taking  out  a  thousand  years  from  his 
reign,  is  like  taking  a  single  drop  from  the 
great  ocean.  And  when  the  hills  and  the 
mountains  shall  crumble  down,  grain  by  grain, 
till  they  are  level  with  the  plain,  and  when 
the  sea  is  worn  out  by  its  motion  and  dashing 
against  the  shore,  and  when  the  heavens  have 
grown  old  like  a  curtain,  and  the  sun  and  the 
moon  and  the  stars  have  no  more  light  to  give, 
when  every  grave  shall  be  dug,  and  every  coffin 
made,  and  the  universe  all  come  to  an  end, 
then,  the  kingdom  of  God  will  be  in  its  full 
strength,   his    armies    of  angels    and    saints  all 


134  THE  GREAT  KING.  [Lect.  YI. 

First  inference.  Gold  lost. 

before  him,  and  the  bright  crown  of  his  do- 
minion on  his  head  for  ever,  —  "  the  Messed  and 
only  Potentate^  the  King  of  kings^  and  Lord  of 
lords,  ivho  only  hath  immortality,  dwelling  in 
light  which  no  man  can  approach  unto,  which  no 
man  hath  seen  or  can  see,  to  whom  he  honor 
and  power  everlasting.'' 

We  see  by  the  light  of  this  subject,  that,  if 
God  be  a  great  king,  then,  — 

1.  He  will  always  take  care  of  good  people. 

It  is  for  the  sake  of  his  own  people  that  he 
made  all  things,  and  keeps  all  things  alive ;  for 
them  he  governs  all  things  ;  and  they  can  never 
be  cast  down,  so  that  he  cannot  lift  them  up ; 
never  be  so  feeble,  that  he  cannot  make  them 
strong ;  never  so  far  off,  that  he  cannot  find  them ; 
never  so  distressed,  that  he  cannot  relieve  them. 
A  piece  of  gold  may  be  carried  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth ;  it  may  be  lost  in  dirt  of  the  street ; 
it  may  be  brought  up  from  the  bottom  of  the 


Lect.  VI.]  THE   GREAT   KING.  135 


The  dying  saint. 


sea;  but  it  is  gold  wherever  it  may  be.  It  has 
the  stamp  of  the  die  on  it.  So  the  people  of 
God  have  his  image  and  superscription  on  them, 
and  the  «:reat  Kins:  will  take  care  of  them. 
It  may  be  the  babe  laid  in  the  ark  of  bulrushes 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  ;  it  may  be  the 
prophet  seated  in  the  chariot  of  fire ;  it  may 
be  Daniel  among  hungry  lions  in  the  den ;  it 
may  be  his  children  in  the  fiery  furnace ;  —  but 
he  will  take  care  of  them.  And  when  the 
saint  comes  to  die,  when  the  face  becomes  dis- 
torted, and  the  cheeks  sunken,  and  the  chin 
dropped,  and  the  eye  glazed,  and  the  shudder 
of  death  passing  over  the  countenance,  O  then, 
he  says,  he  will  not  forsake  them  !  "  Precious 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of  his 
saints."  What  a  song  they  sing  !  —  "  Though  I 
walk  through  the  valley  and  shadow  of  death, 
I  will  fear  no  evil.  Thy  rod  and  thy  staff 
they  shall  comfort  me." 


136  THE   GREAT  KING.  [Lect.  VI. 

Second  inference.  Fault-finding. 

If  God  be  a  great  king,  then  we  ought  to 
expect,  — 

2c  That  there  2viU  he  much  m  his  governmeiit 
that  ive  cannot  understand. 

Suppose  the  councillors  of  a  nation  were 
assembled,  and  trying  to  devise  the  wisest  plans 
for  the  good  of  the  kingdom ;  should  a  boy 
stand  without  and  throw  stones  at  the  house, 
because  he  could  not  understand  their  plans'? 
Should  a  new  soldier  refuse  to  do  his  duty, 
because  he  could  not  understand  why  his  gen- 
eral did  this  or  that  \  Should  the  small  insect, 
that  hangs  in  the  air  on  his  wings,  find  fault 
with  the  man  who  is  building  a  great  ship, 
because  he  could  not  understand  all  about  it] 
No.  Nor  do  we  want  to  say  that,  because  the 
wheels  of  God's  government  are  sometimes  high 
and  dreadful,  and  because  he  drives  his  chariot 
where  we  could  not,  therefore  we  may  com- 
plain,   because   we    cannot   understand    it    all! 


Lect.  VI.]  THE  GREAT  KING.  137 


David's  troubles  and  song.  Who  can  contend  with  Him  ? 

His  deep  wisdom  is  moving  where  we  cannot 
follow.  His  great  power  is  going  where  we 
may  not  tread.  The  great  plans  of  the  great 
King  are  high  above  our  thoughts,  as  the  heav- 
ens are  higher  than  the  earth.  It  seems  as  if 
I  could  see  David,  as  he  went  up  the  Mount 
of  Olivet  weeping  !  His  councillor  turned 
against  him,  his  own  son  a  traitor,  his  people 
turned  away  from  him,  the  city  in  danger  of 
being  burned,  his  own  life  every  moment  in 
danger,  Shimei  cursing  him,  and  everything 
looking  dark  and  fearful !  Hear  him  put  con- 
fidence in  the  great  King !  "  The  floods  have 
lifted  up,  O  Lord,  the  floods  have  lifted  up 
their  voice !  the  floods  lift  up  their  waves !  but 
the  Lord  on  high  is  mightier  than  the  noise  of 
many  waters,  yea,  than  the  mighty  waves  of  the 
sea;  the  Lord  sitteth  upon  the  flood,  yea,  the 
Lord  sitteth  king  for  ever ! "  And  how  will 
all  come  to  nothing,  who  try  to  contend  with 
this  great  King ! 


138  THE   GREAT  KING.  [Lect.  VL 

A  scene  in  the  Alps.  The  mountain-slide. 

As  the  traveller  passes  over  one  of  the  beau- 
tiful lakes  of  Switzerland,  his  eye  falls  upon  a 
streak  of  ruin  which  hangs  like  a  scarf  upon 
the  shoulders  of  one  of  the  mighty  Alps.  It 
looks  small  to  the  eye,  though  close  by,  but  it  is 
really  larger  than  the  ground  occupied  by  all 
the  city  of  Paris.  It  is  about  three  miles  wide 
and  five  long.  Years  ago  the  rains  were  heavy 
and  soaked  into  the  mountain,  and  a  loud,  crack- 
ing: noise  was  first  heard.  Then  the  tall  forests 
that  covered  the  mountain  began  to  nod  and 
reel,  and  the  birds  to  fly  screaming  away.  Then 
the  rocks  began  to  roll,  and  the  whole  side  of 
the  mountain  began  to  tremble,  and  then  to 
slide,  —  thousands  of  acres  with  all  their  forests 
began  to  slide,  and  then  to  rush  and  thunder, 
mingled  with  the  crash  of  trees  and  the  echo 
among  the  mountains,  as  all  came  rushing  down, 
filling  the  air  with  dust,  so  that  nothing  could 
be  seen,  and  causing  the  earth  to  tremble  as  if 


Lect.  VI.]  THE  GREAT  KING.  139 

The  niin. 

her  very  foundations  were  giving  way !  In  five 
minutes  it  was  all  done!  Nearly  a  million  of 
property,  one  hundred  and  eleven  houses,  more 
than  two  hundred  barns,  and  more  than  four 
hundred  and  fifty  human  beings,  and  whole 
herds  of  cattle,  were  swept  away,  and  buried 
several  hundred  feet  beneath  the  mass !  Three 
whole  villages  were  blotted  out  for  ever!  No 
trace  remained  save  a  single  bell  that  was  carried 
from  the  church  a  long  distance.  The  little 
lake  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  received  a  part 
of  the  descending  mass,  which  caused  the  wa- 
ters to  rise  and  sweep  over  an  island  seventy 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  lake,  carrying  all  to 
ruin !     To  this  hour  you  can  see  where 

*'  ^lountains  have  fallen, 
Leaving  a  gap  in  the  clouds,  and  with  the  shock 
Kocking  their  Alpine  brethren  ;  filling  up 
The  ripe,  green  valleys  with  destruction's  splinters 
Damming  the  rivers  with  a  sudden  dash, 
Which  crushed  the  waters  into  mist,  and  made 
Their  fountains  find  another  channel." 


140  THE   GREAT   KING.  [Lect.  VI. 

Child  and  feather. 

O,  had  a  little  child  with  a  feather  in  his  hand 
stood  there  and  seen  this  ruin  coming,  could  he, 
by  stretching  out  his  little  arm,  have  stopped  it '? 
Could  he  have  turned  it  backl  Yes,  a  thou- 
sand times  easier  than  all  created  men  could 
turn  back  or  hinder  God  from  doing  what 
he  thinks  best  to  do  or  have  done !  "I  am 
a  great  King,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts." 


LECTURE    VII. 

THE  BROKEN  STAFF  MENDED. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  Sfc.  —  Luke  vii.  11  —  16. 

Contents.  —  Poisonous  valley.  Looking  into  the  valley.  Young  men's 
party.  The  dying  man  rescued.  Remembrances.  We  dying.  Tlie  morn- 
ing light.  Walled  towns.  Christ  travelling.  The  funeral.  The  mother's 
thoughts.  The  stranger's  voice.  The  dead  with  no  coffin.  The  staff 
mended!  Rivers  of  ice.  The  Alpenstock.  The  awful  fall  in  the  chasm. 
Glaciers  in  the  night.  A  night  scene.  The  twinkling  light.  The  lost 
friend.  Further  unfoldings.  Ingratitude.  The  child  restored.  Master  of 
the  grave.  The  dead  brought  back.  A  hard  question.  Reason  first, 
for  this  miracle.  For  after  ages.  Reason  second,  for  this  miracle. 
The  buried  babe.  Who  are  comforted?  The  funeral  at  sea.  The  sad 
crew  of  the  ship.  The  burial.  The  ocean-grave.  The  dead  to  awake. 
The  resurrection.  Reason  third,  for  this  miracle.  Spiritual  teachings. 
Why  Christ  left  the  earth.  The  great  design  of  Christ.  The  people's 
shout.     The  shout  of  all  his  family ! 

They  tell  us  that  there  is  a  poisonous  valley 
which  has  been  visited  by  many  travellers. 
It  is  small,  and  is  surrounded  by  hills.  As 
you  look  off  from  these  hills,  you  see  a  level, 
circular  basin,   that   looks  smooth  and  fair, — 


144  THE  BROKEN  STAFF  MENDED.  [Lect.  Vfl. 

Poisonous  valley.         Looking  into  the  valley.         Young  men's  party. 

except  there  is  not  a  living  tree  or  bush,  not  a 
wayside  iio\yer,  nor  even  a  single  green  spire  of 
grass  to  be  seen.  There  is  no  wind  in  it,  nor  a 
living^  thing:  that  moves.  All  over  it  lie  the 
bleachino:  bones  of  the  dead.  The  bones  of  the 
huge  elephant  and  of  the  strong  lion,  of  the 
timid  hare  and  of  the  fleet  deer,  lie  scattered 
around,  while  here  and  there  lie  the  bones 
of  some  traveller  who  went  into  it  in  his  igno- 
rance, and  there  found  his  grave.  Nothing  that 
ever  goes  down  there  comes  up  again ! 

Now  suppose  that  on  the  brow  of  one  of 
these  surrounding  hills  were  gathered  a  com- 
pany of  young  men.  They  gaze,  silent  and 
awe-struck,  into  the  valley.  While  they  look, 
a  cry  of  terror  bursts  from  them,  for  just  at  the 
foot  of  the  rock  on  which  they  stand,  they  see 
a  poor  traveller  writhing  in  distress  and  just 
gasping  for  breath  !  He  is  too  far  gone  to  shout 
or  utter  another  cry  for  help.    In  an  instant,  one 


Lect.  VII.]  THE  BROKEN  STAFF  MENDED.  145 

The  dying  man  rescueil.  Kemembrances. 

of  the  young  men  slips  the  end  of  a  cord  which 
he  has  in  his  hand  over  the  point  of  a  rock  and 
slides  down  on  the  rope  to  the  perishing  stran- 
ger.    He  has  just  time  enough  to  tie  the  rope 
round  the  dying  man,  and  to  beckon  his  com- 
rades to  pull  him  up,  before  he  himself  falls  by 
the  poisonous  air.     They  draw  up  the  half-dead 
stranger  and  save  him,  but  their  companion  and 
friend  is  down  there  dying !     No  one  can  go  to 
hhn !     Xo    one    can   save  him !      He  must   die 
and  be  left  there  to  bleach  with  the  dead !     And 
they  now   find,   too,   that  the  man  whom  they 
have  saved  was  the  bitter  enemy  of  their  friend. 
And  their  friend  knew  it,  too,  and  knew  it  when 
he  put  the  rope  round  him,  instead  of  his  own 
body,   after   he    got    to   him !     How    they    now 
speak  of  the  nobleness,  the  generosity,  and  the 
goodness  of  their  friend  !     How  that  man  who 
was   his   enemy   feels,    to    think    that   he    ever 
should  have  hated  such  a  character ! 


146  THE  BROKEN  STAFF  MENDED.  [Lect.  VIL 


We  dying.  The  morning  liglit. 

All,  children !  you  and  I  were  in  that  poison- 
ous valley,  and  we  were  dying  and  unable  to 
help  ourselves,  and  He  came  and  looked,  and 
there  was  none  to  save,  and  Tie  wondered  that 
there  was  none  to  help !  He  died  that  we 
might  live.  He  "  tasted  death  for  every  man." 
"  While  we  were  enemies,  Christ  died  for  us." 
O,  if  it  were  not  that  we  have  seen  it  so  long 
and  so  often,  how  beautiful  would  be  the  light 
of  the  clear  summer  morning  !  If  we  had  not 
seen  it  so  often,  how  charming  would  be  the 
bush  hanging  loaded  with  roses  !  If  w^e  had  not 
heard  the  account  so  often,  we  should  weep  and 
exult  at  the  story  of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  dying 
for  men  !  He  had  to  descend  even  into  the 
grave,  in  order  to  bring  us  up  out  of  the  poi- 
soned valley,  and  before  he  could  ascend  above 
all  heaven. 

The  story  from  which  we  take  our  text  this 
afternoon   is    a   wonderful    one.      In    the    days 


Lkct.  VIL]  the  broken   STAFF   MENDED.  147 

Walled  towns.  Christ  travelling. 

when  Christ  was  on  earth  they  had  no  cannon 
or    powder,  or    such    terrible    weapons    of    war 
as  we  now  have ;  but  they  fought  with  swords 
and  spears  for   the  most  part.     Hence   almost 
any  kind  of  wall  built  up  round  a  town  would 
be  a  defence.     These  walled  towns  were  full  of 
people,  and  out  of  them  they  crept  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  went  off  to  till  the  ground  or  to  watch 
their  cattle.     No  leper  was  permitted  to  live  in 
such    a   town,    and   no    dead   were    allowed    to 
be  buried  within  the  walls.     Our  Saviour  had 
one  day  been  preaching  to   a  great  multitude, 
and  working  miracles,  when  he  set  out  to  enter 
one  of  these  walled  towns.     A  great  multitude 
of  people  followed  him.     Some  went,   because 
they   wanted   to  hear  him  preach  again  ;  some, 
because  they  wanted  to   see  him  do  some  great 
miracle ;    some,  because  they   wanted    to    know 
why  he  went  into  that  walled  town  ;  and  some 
followed  him  because  others   did.     Just  before 


148  THE  BROKEN   STAFF   MENDED.  [Lect.  VII. 

The  funeral.  The  mother's  thoughts. 

they  reach  the  gates  of  the  town,  they  meet  a 
funeral.  It  is  a  large  funeral,  though  there  is 
only  one  mourner.  It  is  the  mother  of  the 
dead,  —  a  poor  widow,  —  who  has  lost  her  only 
son,  the  staff  of  her  age.  It  is  towards  evening, 
the  hour  of  the  day  when  they  usually  bury 
their  dead.  Christ  looks  weary,  for  it  is  sup- 
posed that  he  has  walked  about  twelve  miles  to- 
day. When  the  two  processions  meet,  they 
both  stop.  The  w^eeping  mother  follows  the 
bier.  She  is  just  thinking  over  how  her  son 
looked,  how  his  voice  used  to  sound,  how  he 
was  dutiful  and  kind  to  her !  She  is  recalling: 
his  childhood,  and  the  many  hopes  she  had  had 
concerning  him.  She  is  thinking  how  lonely 
her  home  will  now  be,  how  little  she  has  to  live 
for,  how  gladly  she  would  die  with  him.  She  is 
closely  veiled,  and  sees  nothing  but  the  dust  on 
which  she  treads.  She  wonders  why  they  have 
stopped.     But  the  stopping  will  keep  the  dust 


Lkct.  VII.]  THE  BROKEN  STAFF  MENDED.  149 

The  stranger's  voice.  The  dead  Avith  no  cofRn. 

of  her   child  with   her  just    so    much    longer ! 

How  she  weeps !     What  makes  her  start  so  at 

the  voice  of  a  stranger,  who  kindly  says,  "  Weep 

not "  1     What  makes  her  thrill  at  the  sound  ] 

She  never  heard  that  voice  before !     She  never 

heard  such  notes  before  !     She  draws  aside  her 

veil,    and    there    stands    before    her    One,  fairer 

than   the   sons   of  men  !     She  trembles,  and  is 

ready  to  fall  down  at  his  feet,  though  she  hardly 

knows  why.     By   a   mysterious  power,   all  are 

hushed    and    silent.       In    those    countries    they 

do    not   have    coffins    as    we    do.      They   place 

the  corpse  on  a  kind  of  bier,  with  a  covering 

over  it  made  of  cloth,  with  a  light  frame,   so 

that   the    dead  man   seems  lying  under  a  sort 

of  canopy,  with  the  narrow  curtain  at  the  head 

lifted  up  to  show  his  pale  face.     He  is  wrapped 

in  white  linen,  completely  covered,  except  the 

face.     That  mysterious  stranger  looks  in  upon 

the  face  of  the  dead,  with  one  hand  resting  on 

10 


150  THE  BROKEN  STAFF  MENDED.  [Lect.  VII. 

The  staff  mended !  Rivers  of  ice. 

the  bier.  How  hushed  are  all  the  multitude ! 
The  silence  is  such  that  the  rustling  of  the  high 
palm-leaf  might  be  heard.  Now  he  speaks: 
"  Young  man,  I  say  unto  thee,  arise ! "  How 
quick  the  warm  blood  rushes  through  his  veins ! 
How  quick  his  cheek  flushes  !  How  quick  his 
pulse  beats,  —  his  bosom  heaves  !  And  now  he 
sits  up  and  speaks  to  his  mother !  How  grace- 
fully the  Saviour  takes  him  by  the  hand,  and 
delivers  him  to  his  mother !  Her  staff  that  was 
broken  is  restored  to  her !  Her  child  is  brought 
back  from  the  dead !  O,  it  is  so  like  a  dream 
that  the  mother  cannot  speak !  Her  amazement 
is  so  great,  that  she  cannot  fall  down  at  his  feet. 
She  sees  nothing  but  her  boy,  who  was  lost  and 
is  found,  who  was  dead  and  is  alive  again !  It 
was  like  being  brought  back  from  death  to  life 
herself 

Among  the  great  Alps  —  awful  beyond  what 
any  one  can  imagine  —  there  are  huge  rivers  of 


Lect.  VII.]  THE  BROKEN  STAFF  MENDED.  151 

The  Alpenstock. 

ice  !  solid  ice,  that  come  creeping  down  between 
the  high  peaks,  sometimes  two  miles  wide,  and 
very  deep !  They  are  all  ice,  but  they  crowd 
and  grind  so  hard  against  the  mountains  that 
they  break  up  into  cakes,  which  lie  side  by  side, 
like  pieces  of  slate  standing  on  their  edges. 
Between  these  great  cakes  of  ice,  are  openings, 
called  crevices,  down  which  you  can  look  far, 
and  down  which,  as  you  throw  a  stone,  you  hear 
it  roll  and  bound  and  thunder  a  long,  long 
while,  before  it  reaches  the  bottom.  Sometimes 
it  would  take  a  rope  more  than  an  eighth  of  a 
mile  long  to  reach  the  bottom!  In  crossing 
over  these  glaciers,  as  they  are  called,  you  have 
to  get  a  guide,  and  also  to  have  a  long,  smooth 
staff,  with  a  sharp  iron  in  one  end  of  it,  to  stick 
into  the  ice.  This  is  called  an  Alpenstock,  i.  e. 
mountain-staff.  In  a  certain  place,  one  of  these 
frozen  rivers  comes  down  between  two  awful 
peaks,   one    called    the   Peak  of  the  Tempests, 


152  THE  BROKEN  STAFF  MENDED.  [Lect.  VH. 

The  awful  fall  in  the  chasm. 

and  the  other  the  Peak  of  Terror.  Some  years 
ago  a  clergyman  was  on  this  glacier  with  his 
guide.  As  he  came  to  a  round  opening,  —  the 
crevice,  —  he  leaned  on  his  Alpenstock,  and  bent 
over  to  look  down  the  awful  chasm.  Sudden  as 
thought,  his  staff  broke,  and  down,  down  he 
went,  out  of  sight  in  an  instant !  His  name 
was  Mouron.  After  twelve  days'  labor,  they 
let  down  a  guide  with  a  lantern  tied  round 
his  neck,  at  the  peril  of  his  life.  Twice  they 
drew  liim  up  to  breathe,  nearly  exhausted.  The 
third  time  he  found  the  mangled  and  bruised 
body,  seven  hundred  feet  from  the  top  of  the 
glacier  where  he  fell  in,  and  he  was  drawn 
up  with  the  dead  man  in  his  arms.  Sometimes 
the  people  of  the  Alps  have  to  cross  these 
glaciers  in  the  night,  or  else  freeze  to  death. 
A  single  slip  of  the  foot,  or  a  single  false  step, 
is  certain  death.  When  they  cross  in  the  night, 
they  have  the  Alpenstock  and  the  lantern. 


Lect.  VII.]  THE   BROKEN   STAFF  MENDED.  153 

Glaciers  in  the  night.  A  night  scene. 

Now  imagine  that  you  were  on  the  brink  of 
one  of  these  glaciers  in  the  night.  You  are 
alone^  and  you  must  cross  it  and  find  a  shelter 
or  you  perish.  The  winds  howl,  and  the  great 
avalanches  of  ice  thunder  and  echo  among  these 
awful  solitudes,  and  the  storm-notes  come  boom- 
ing up  from  far  below.  You  cautiously  creep 
along  on  the  edge  of  the  ice-cake,  and  see 
an  awful  chasm  running  along,  one  on  each 
side  of  your  narrow  path.  As  you  thrust 
down  the  sharp  point  of  your  staff  into  the  ice, 
you  move  very  slowly.  And  now  you  have  got 
out  a  mile  into  the  middle  of  the  glacier,  and 
just  as  you  have  got  between  two  fearful  open- 
ings, your  staff  breaks  and  is  useless,  and  that 
moment  a  gust  of  wind,  fierce  as  a  tiger,  puts 
out  your  light ! 

Ah,  now  what  will  you  do  ]  To  move  back- 
ward or  forward  is  certain  destruction !  To  stop 
there  is  to  be  frozen  as  solid  as  the  ice  beneath 


154  THE  BROKEN  STAFF  MENDED.  [Lect.  VIL 


The  twinkling  light.  The  lost  friend. 

your  feet !  What  will  you  do "?  You  shout, 
and  the  swelling  winds  carry  your  voice  away, 
and  it  is  lost  in  the  storm.  Just  then  you 
see,  on  the  far-off  land,  a  little  twinkling  light. 
In  a  few  minutes  more  you  would  have  given 
up  and  sunk  down  into  the  opening  ice,  where 
you  would  never  be  heard  of  again,  till  the 
resurrection  morning.  But  now  the  light  seems 
to  creep  nearer  and  nearer  to  you.  It  comes 
up,  and  a  man  stands  close  to  you,  —  only  that 
deep  chasm  is  between  you  and  him.  He  hangs 
the  little  lantern  on  the  end  of  his  Alpenstock, 
and  reaches  it  to  you.  You  take  it  off  very 
carefully.  He  then  reaches  again  to  give  you 
the  needed  staff.  You  seize  it  eagerly,  and  give 
it  a  jerk,  and  by  that  jerk  he  loses  his  balance, 
falls  in,  and  down,  down  he  falls,  and  lies 
bleeding  and  mangled  far  down  under  the  deep 
ice !  Yoii  had  no  time  to  ask  his  name  or  learn 
who  he  was.     You  only  know  that  he  perilled 


Lect.  VII.]  THE   BROKEN   STAFF  MENDED.  155 

Further  unfoldings.  Ingratitude, 

and  lost  his  life  for  you !  With  that  staff  and 
that  lantern  you  reach  the  land,  find  a  dwelling, 
and  are  saved.  Ah,  yes  !  and  you  learn  that 
the  man  who  thus  lost  his  life  for  you  was  one 
who  knew  you  w^ould  be  lost  unless  he  went  to 
you,  and  who  expected  it  would  cost  him  his 
life,  and  the  one  whom,  of  all  men  in  the  world, 
you  had  treated  the  most  unkindly,  and  who 
had  reason  to  despise  you  and  hate  you,  and  to 
be  willing  to  have  you  perish  in  the  dark,  cold 
night,  under  the  deep,  awful  glacier  !  And  now 
suppose  that  after  this  you  are  never  heard  to 
speak  of  the  kindness  of  that  man,  never  to 
mention  how  you  were  delivered,  never  to  think 
over  your  unkindness  to  him,  and  his  nobleness 
and  kindness  in  forgetting  it  all  and  coming 
to  save  you  !  —  is  this  being  grateful? 

So  was  it  wdth  us  when  God  gave  us  a  lamp 
to  our  feet,  — his  holy  word  ;  and  a  staff  to  lean 
upon,  —  the    beautiful    promises    of  the    Bible! 


156  THE  BROKEN  STAFF  MENDED.  [Lect.  VIL 

The  child  restored.  :Master  of  the  grave. 

The  poor  widow  who  was  told  to  dry  her  tears, 
and  who  had  her  son  restored  to  her,  was  only 
one  among  our  race  to  whom  Christ  hath  done 
good.  She  was  only  one  to  whom  he  brought  a 
staff  in  the  place  of  the  one  that  was  broken, 
and  a  lantern  in  the  place  of  the  one  that  sin 
had  put  out ! 

This  was  not  the  first  child  that  had  been 
raised  from  the  dead  to  life.  Elijah  raised  one, 
—  the  child  of  a  poor  widow  who  fed  him  in  the 
famine  ;  and  Elisha  raised  one,  —  the  son  of  the 
woman  who  was  so  kind  to  him ;  but  how 
differently  they  did  it !  They  knelt  long  in 
prayer ;  they  lay  down  upon  the  child  in  both 
cases  ;  they  prayed  God  to  do  it.  They  had  no 
power  to  do  it  themselves.  They  could  not 
speak,  and  cause  the  dead  to  hear  and  awake. 
They  were  not  masters  of  the  grave,  and  had 
not  the  keys  of  death  and  of  hell ;  they  were 
mere  servants.     But  when  Christ  the  Son  came, 


Lect.  VII.]  THE  BROKEN  STAFF   MENDED.  157 

The  dead  brouglit  back. 

he  did  whatsoever  the  Father  did.  "  lie  spake, 
and  it  was  done" ;  "he  commanded,  and  it  stood 
fast " ;  he  opened,  and  no  man  shut ;  and  so 
he  had  not  to  stop  to  pray ;  but  in  his  own 
name,  and  by  his  own  power,  he  awaked  the 
dead ! 

Do  we  suppose  that  the  young  man,  thus 
brought  back  from  the  dead,  could  remember 
what  he  saw  in  the  world  of  spirits'?  If  he 
had  gone  to  the  world  of  the  blessed,  and  could 
remember  what  he  saw,  how  would  he  dread 
to  come  back !  If  he  had  gone  to  the  world 
of  the  lost,  what  horror  would  have  been  painted 
on  his  face  !  No,  we  suppose  that  in  mercy  a 
veil  was  drawn  over  the  spirit-world,  and  he 
only  felt  that  he  had  been  in  a  deep  sleep,  from 
which  he  awaked  at  the  voice  of  Jesus  ! 

You  may  wonder  why  Christ  does  not  meet 
every  funeral  and  raise  the  dead,  and  especially 
why   he   does   not   always   remember   the  poor 


158  THE  BROKEN   STAFF  MENDED.  [Lect.  VU. 

A  hard  question.  Reason  first,  for  this  miracle. 

widow  who  mourns  the  loss  of  an  only  son. 
Why  should  this  widow  of  Nain  be  selected  to 
receive  this  mercy,  while  thousands  of  such 
weeping  mothers  have  followed  an  only  son  to 
the  grave,  and  heard  no  voice  saying,  "  Young 
man,  I  say  unto  thee,  arise!"  And  this  leads  me 
to  speak  of  the  reasons  that  led  Christ  to  per- 
form this  wonderful  act.  It  was  not  altogether 
for  the  sake  of  that  mother,  though  he  had, 
we  arc  told,  compassion  on  her.  But  it  was 
done,  — 

1.  To  show  all  men  that  ever  read  the  stortf^ 
that  Christ  is  good. 

He  wants  men  to  trust  their  lives  and  their 
children  and  their  friends  and  their  souls  to 
him ;  but  they  cannot  and  will  not  do  this, 
unless  they  believe  that  he  is  good.  We  cannot 
love  or  trust  one  who  is  not  good.  We  do  not 
want  a  bad  man  to  come  into  our  families ;  we 
do  not  want   to  commit  our  children,  and  all 


Lect.  VII.]  THE   BROKEN   STAFF   MENDED.  159 

For  after  ages.  Reason  second,  for  this  miracle. 

that  we  have,  to  a  bad  man.  But  Christ  knew 
that  many  a  dying  mother  would  want  to  com- 
mit her  helpless  babes  to  him,  and  the  dying 
father  would  w^ant  to  leave  his  family  with  him, 
and  the  poor  sinner  would  want  to  look  to  him 
for  mercy,  and  w^e  all  should  want  to  make  him 
our  Saviour,  and  so  he  took  that  occasion  to 
show  that  he  remembers  the  mourner  in  her 
tears,  and  pities  the  sorrows  of  his  creatures. 
It  is  not  because  he  does  not  know  or  regard 
the  tears  of  the  mourner,  at  every  funeral,  that 
he  does  not  turn  back  the  tide  of  their  grief  by 
bringing  back  and  restoring  the  dead. 

2.  Christ  raised  this  young  man  to  llfe^  to  show 
that  he  can  raise  all  the  dead. 

Does  it  seem,  when  we  bury  the  old,  worn- 
out  man,  who  for  a  long  time  could  hardly 
see  or  hear  or  walk,  and  who  has  now  become 
as  cold  and  as  insensible  as  the  grave  in  which 
we  lay  him,  —  does  it  seem  as  if  there  w^as  any 


160  THE   BEOKEN  STAFF   MENDED.  [Lect.  VIL 

The  buried  babe.  Who  are  comforted  ? 

power  that  can  bring  him  up  from  that  grave 
alive,  and  restore  him  again  to  youth  and  vigor, 
activity  and  health  ]  Does  it  seem  as  if  there 
was  any  arm  that  could  lift  up  that  poor  dead 
woman  from  the  dust  of  death,  and  restore  to 
her  the  grace  and  the  beauty  of  youth  ]  And 
that  little  babe  that  we  bury !  His  dust  will 
soon  be  mingled  with  that  of  the  earth,  and  not 
a  particle  even  of  his  coffin  will  remain,  —  can 
he  be  found,  and  that  little  body  be  restored 
to  life  again  ]  Hear  what  age  says,  when  it 
is  looking  for  death :  "  I  know  that  my  E<e- 
deemer  liveth,  and  that  he  shall  stand  at  the 
latter  day  upon  the  earth,  and  though,  after 
my  skin,  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my 
flesh  I  shall  see  God ;  whom  I  shall  see  for 
myself,  and  not  another,  though  my  reins  be 
consumed  within  me."  Hear  the  weeping  sister 
say,  at  the  grave  of  a  beloved  brother,  "  I 
know  that  he  shall  rise  again  at  the  last  day." 


Lect.  Vir.]  THE  BROKEN   STAFF  MENDED.  IGl. 

The  funeral  at  sea. 

Yes,  by  touching  that  bier,  and  calling  back 
that  young  man,  Christ  showed  that  he  has  the 
keys  of  death  and  of  hell  in  his  hand.  And 
now  Faith  leans  upon  him.  We  are  not  afraid 
to  bury  our  beloved  ones  down  in  the  dark, 
cold  grave. 

Can  anything  be  more  solemn  than  a  funeral 
at  sea  ?  The  morning  sun  rises,  and  not  a  cloud 
appears  to  shut  off  his  rays.  A  slight  breeze 
plays  on  the  surface  of  the  slumbering  ocean. 
The  stillness  of  the  morning  is  only  disturbed 
by  the  ripple  of  the  water,  or  the  diving  of 
a  flying-fish.  It  seems  as  if  the  calm  and 
noiseless  spirit  of  the  deep  is  brooding  over 
the  waters.  The  national  flag,  displayed  half 
way  down  the  royal-mast,  plays  in  the  breeze, 
unconscious  of  its  solemn  import.  The  vessel 
glides  in  queenly  serenity,  and  seems  tranquil  as 
the  element  on  whose  surface  she  moves.  She 
knows  not  of  the  sorrows  that  are  in  her  bosom, 


162  THE   BROKEN   STAFF   MENDED.  [Lect.  VII. 

The  sad  crew  of  the  ship. 

and  seems  to  look  down  on  the  briny  expanse 
beneath  licr  m  all  the  confidence  and  security 
of  strength. 

To  the  minds  of  her  brave  crew  it  is  a 
morning  of  gloom.  They  have  been  boarded 
by  the  angel  of  death,  and  the  forecastle  now 
contains  all  that  was  mortal  of  his  victim.  His 
soul  has  gone  to  its  final  account.  Grouped 
around  the  windlass,  and  left  to  their  own 
reflections,  the  hardy  sons  of  the  ocean  mingle 
their  sympathies  with  each  other.  They  think 
of  their  oAvn  mortality.  Conscience  is  at  her 
post.  They  feel  that  eternity  has  realities. 
They  speak  of  the  virtues  of  their  messmate, 
• —  his  honesty,  sensibility,  and  generosity.  One 
had  seen  him  share  the  last  dollar  of  his  hard- 
earned  wages  with  a  distressed  shipmate.  All 
attest  his  liberality.  They  speak,  too,  of  his 
accomplishments  as  a  sailor,  —  of  the  nerve  of 
his  arm  and  the  fearlessness  of  his  soul.     They 


Lect.  VII.]  THE  BROKEN   STAFF  MENDED.  163 

The  burial. 

had  seen  him  in  the  hour  of  peril,  when  the 
winds  of  heaven  were  let  loose  in  all  their  fury, 
and  destruction  was  on  the  wing,  seize  the  helm 
and  hold  the  ship  securely  within  his  grasp,  till 
the  danger  had  passed  by. 

And  now  they  are  summoned  to  prepare  for 
the  rites  of  burial,  and  to  pay  their  last  honors 
to  their  dead  companion.  The  work  commences 
with  a  heavy  heart  and  many  a  sigh.  A  rude 
coffin  is  soon  nailed  together,  and  the  dead 
placed  within  it.  All  are  ready  for  the  final 
scene.  The  main  hatches  are  the  bier.  A 
spare  sail  is  the  pall.  The  poor  sailors,  in  their 
tar-stained  garments,  stand  around  the  coffin. 
All  are  silent.  The  freshening  breeze  moans 
through  the  cordage.  The  main-topsail  is  hove 
to  the  mast.  The  ship,  as  if  amazed,  pauses  on 
her  course  and  stands  still.  The  bell  tolls,  and 
at  the  knell,  and  the  words,  "  We  commit  this 
body  to  the  deep,"  you  hear  the  plunge  of  the 


164  THE   BROKEN   STAFF   MENDED.  [Lect.  YII. 


The  ocean-grave.  The  dead  to  awake. 

coffin,  and  see  the  tears  start  from  the  eyes 
of  the  generous  tars.  You  thmk  of  his  home, 
—  his  Avidowed  mother,  his  sisters,  who  will 
listen  and  watch  in  vain  for  his  returning  foot- 
steps. You  follow  the  coffin  as  it  slowly  travels 
down,  down  miles,  and  it  may  be  and  is  hours  in 
reaching  its  resting-place.  O,  we  are  not  afraid 
thus  to  bury  men  in  the  ocean,  and  see  them 
sink  down  in  the  dark,  deep  waters,  and  find  a 
resting-place  among  the  corals  and  the  shells, 
for  we  know  there  is  an  Eye  that  never  looks  off 
from  that  buried  one,  and  a  Power  that  will 
raise  him  up  and  restore  him  to  life  again! 

lie  says  to  the  weeper,  "  Weep  not !  thy  brother 
shall  rise  again."  At  any  moment,  —  even  now, 
while  I  am  speaking, — he  could  cause  the  arch- 
angel's trumpet  to  sound,  and  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  every  grave  would  open,  and  every 
one  that  has  ever  died  would  start  up  and  stand 
on  his  feet.     Without  preparation  or  time,  he 


Lect.  VII.]  THE  BROKEN   STAFF  MENDED.  165 

The  resurrection.  Reason  third,  for  this  miracle. 

can  speak,  and  the  dead  on  the  way  to  the  grave 
is  turned  back  alive  and  well.  And  thus  by 
his  own  power  will  he  raise  all  the  dead.  No 
matter  if  the  sleeper  has  been  forgotten,  or 
buried  for  ages  ;  no  matter  that  no  one  knows 
that  he  ever  lived,  or  where  his  dust  may  be,  — 
there  is  One  who  is  the  Resurrection  and  the 
Life,  and  no  one  shall  be  forgotten  before  him. 
In  his  hand  are  the  deep  places  of  the  earth. 
Death  and  hell  are  naked  before  him,  and 
destruction  hath  no  covering.  "•  The  Redeemer 
of  the  whole  earth  shall  he  be  called." 

3.  Christ  raised  this  young  man  to  life  to  show 
that  his  kingdom  is  a  spiritual  kingdom. 

When  he  created  bread  and  fish,  and  fed  five 
thousand  hungry  people,  the  great  object  was, 
not  to  relieve  the  wants  of  the  body,  but  to 
lead  them  to  labor,  not  for  the  meat  that  perish- 
eth,  but  for  that  bread  which  came  down  from 
heaven.    When  he  opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind, 

11 


166  THE  BROKEN  STAFF   MENPED.  [Lect.  VIL 


Spiritual  teachings.  Why  Christ  left  the  earth. 

it  was  to  lead  men  to  see  that  he  could  open 
their  spiritual  eyes  and  cause  them  to  see  the 
glory  of  God.  When  he  made  the  sick  of  the 
palsy  to  be  well,  it  was  to  show  that  he  had 
power  also  to  forgive  sin.  And  when  he  raised 
the  dead,  it  was  to  teach  us  that  he  can  raise 
those  who  are  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins  to 
life;  that  he  can  command  the  spirits,  the  souls 
of  men,  and  whether  they  are  on  earth  or  in 
eternity,  he  can  command  them  and  they  will 
obey  him.  So  men  are  told  to  arise  from 
the  dead,  i.  e.  spiritual  death,  and  go  to  Christ, 
who  will  give  them  life.  O,  how  many  parents 
have  seen  their  children  converted  to  God,  and 
have  wept  for  joy,  —  ''  this  my  son  was  lost  and 
is  found  again;  was  dead,  and  is  made  alive!" 
Christ  could  have  stayed  upon  earth  to  this  hour, 
and  spent  these  hundreds  of  years  in  going 
about  healing  the  sick,  giving  sight  to  the  blind, 
opening  the  ears   of  the  deaf,  and  raising  the 


Lect.  VII.]  THE  BROKEN  STAFF  MENDED.  16T 

The  great  design  of  Christ.  The  people's  shout. 

dead ;  but  there  is  a  greater  work  than  all  this. 
He  is  preparing  to  raise  all  the  dead,  to  give 
healing  to  the  soul,  and  to  cause  ten  thousand 
times  ten  thousand  hearts  to  rejoice,  —  to  rejoice 
for  ever  and  ever ! 

We  have  no  account  of  anything  great  or 
good,  which  the  man  who  was  raised  from  the 
dead  did,  in  after  life.  We  have  no  account 
of  the  long  life  of  the  mother.  No,  it  was 
done  to  manifest  forth  the  character  of  the 
great  Redeemer.  It  was  to  cause  us,  and  all 
who  shall  ever  read  the  story,  to  believe  and 
trust  in  his  mercy  and  in  his  almighty  power. 
The  design  of  Christ  is  chiefly  to  give  spiritual 
blessings  to  men,  and  therefore  he  does  not 
continue  such  miracles.  When  the  great  mul- 
titude of  people  saw  the  young  man  rise  up 
from  the  dead  at  the  word  of  Christ,  and  heard 
him  speak,  and  saw  him  given  back  to  his 
mother,  great  fear  fell  on  them,  and  they  broke 


168  THE  BROKEN   STAFF  MENDED.  [Lect.  VIL 

The  shout  of  all  his  family ! 

out  in  shouts  and  glorified  God  !     O,  this  was 
only  one  act  of  Jesus  our  Lord  ! 

But  when  at  the  last  great  day,  when  every 
eye  shall  see  him,  as  he  comes  on  the  clouds 
of  heaven,  when  he  has  raised  up  all  the  dead, 
when  he  has  gathered  all  his  people,  when  all 
his  mighty  acts  have  been  seen,  when  all  his 
great  works  of  mercy  have  been  made  known,  — 
there  will  go  up  from  all  the  universe  of  God 
a  shout  such  as  was  never  heard  before  !  Fear 
and  trembling,  hope  and  joy,  will  fill  the  hearts 
of  all  his  people,  and  all  will  draw  near  to  him, 
every  holy  being  in  heaven  and  on  earth  and 
under  the  earth,  saying,  "  Blessing  and  honor 
and  glory  and  power  be  unto  Him  that  sitteth 
upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb  for  ever 
and  ever." 


LECTUEE     VIII. 

THE   FLOWERS. 
Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field.  —  Matt.  vi.  28. 

Contents.  —  Christ  in  the  streets.  Street  sermons.  Out-of-door  texts. 
God's  creations.  Paintings  of  nature.  Spring's  doings.  A  dark  picture. 
A  garden  hung  up  in  the  air.  First  thing  to  think  of.  "  Here  we  are !  " 
The  flower's  speech.  The  rose  and  the  tulip.  The  second  thing  to  think 
of.  The  third  thing  to  be  thought  of  Broken  teapot.  The  prisoner  and 
the  wall-flower.  The  city  cellar.  Flowers  in  the  coffin.  How  to  improve 
flowers.  Rose-bud  on  the  tomb.  How  we  use  flowers.  Night-blooming 
Cereus.  Teachings  of  flowers.  A  sad  thought.  A  child's  doings.  The 
dying  boy.  Language  of  the  rose.  Stupidity  of  men.  Beauty  for  all. 
Voices  all  around  us.  Creation's  testimony.  Memories  of  the  old  man. 
Old  Homer.  The  three  gardens.  Bright  thoughts.  Grave  of  the  young 
girl.     Nothing  good  to  be  lost.    Preaching  of  the  flowers. 

My  dear  children,  when  the  blessed  Sav- 
iour was  on  earth,  "  he  went  about  doing  good." 
He  went  on  foot  from  place  to  place,  healing 
the  sick,  and  preaching  the  Gospel  wherever 
he  was.  And  as  the  people  followed  him  in 
throngs,  bringing  their   sick   to   be  healed,   he 


170  THE  FLOWERS.  [Lect.  VIU. 

Christ  in  the  streets.  Street  sermons. 

used  to  preach  to  them  in  the  streets,  and  so 
his  sermons  were  mostly  preached  out  of  doors, 
and  by  the  wayside.  He  did  not  take  texts  to 
preach  from,  as  ministers  now  do,  but  made 
his  sennons  out  of  anything  around  him.  At 
one  time,  when  the  morning  sun  was  coming 
up  over  the  hills,  he  points  to  it  and  tells  his 
disciples  that  they  are  the  light  of  the  world  ! 
At  another  time,  he  pointed  to  the  salt  which 
had  been  washed  and  drenched,  till  good  for 
nothing,  and  then  showed  that  his  people  are 
like  it,  when  they  lose  his  spirit.  There  is  a 
white  city  on  the  top  of  yonder  high  hill,  and 
it  is  seen  from  every  place  around,  and  he  tells 
his  disciples  that  they  are  like  such  a  city  set 
on  a  hill !  That  man  who  is  ploughing  keeps 
his  eye  on  the  furrow ;  he  does  not  turn  and 
look  back  a  moment ;  and  he  tells  us  that,  if  we 
look  back,  we  are  not  fit  for  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.     From   the    man    sowing   in    the    field, 


Lect.  VIII.]  THE  FLOWERS.  171 

Out-of-door  texts.  God's  creations. 

Christ  teaches  how  the  word  of  God  is  preached, 
and  how  different  men  receive  it.  So  he  teaches 
by  the  vine  by  the  wayside  ;  by  the  fig-tree  in 
sight ;  by  the  vineyard  on  the  hillside  ;  by  the 
casting  a  net  into  the  sea ;  by  the  lighting  of 
the  sparrow  on  the  ground  ;  and  by  the  falling 
of  a  hair.  Then  he  sees  some  lilies,  and  tells 
us  to  consider  them,  —  how  they  are  more  rich- 
ly clothed  than  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  ever 
was  ! 

Do  you  wonder  that  Christ  preached  from 
these  things  ?  The  same  hand  that  wrote  the 
texts  in  the  Bible  painted  the  lily.  God  hath 
painted  the  skies,  and  made  the  stars  to  flash 
and  sparkle,  and  turned  the  clouds  of  the 
morning  and  evening  into  palaces  of  gold,  or 
rolled  them  up  like  great,  floating  mountains 
of  silver.  He  does  not  glue  the  clouds  to 
the  sky,  nor  hang  them  up  there  like  great 
sheets  of  lead,  or  spread  them  out  like  lakes  of 


172  THE  FLOWERS.  [Lect.  VIII. 

Paintings  of  nature.  Spring's  doings. 

ink,  but  he  rolls  them  from  one  beautiful  form 
into  another.  He  folds  the  heavens  in  festoons, 
and  hangs  the  rainbow  over  the  earth  like  a 
great  wreath  of  flowers.  He  paints  the  grass 
on  which  you  tread,  the  deepest  green.  And 
on  the  summer's  morning,  when  the  world  sits 
silent,  as  if  waiting  for  a  choir  of  angels  to 
lift  up  the  voice  and  praise  him,  or  when  the 
great  red  sun  goes  down  at  night  like  a  joyous 
child  going  to  his  pillow,  how  beautiful !  What 
a  look  the  sun  throws  back,  when  he  turns 
the  lake  into  a  great  basin  of  gold  ! 

And  the  spring  !  when  the  winter  goes  away, 
what  a  resurrection !  The  river  bursts  from 
the  chains  of  ice  that  held  it  so  fast ;  the  lit- 
tle seed  that  lay  freezing  in  the  ground,  begins 
to  sprout ;  the  little  bird  whose  notes  seem  to 
tremble  for  joy,  the  small  insect  that  leaps 
up  and  utters  his  hum  of  gladness,  the  moun- 
tains   with    their   thin  veil    of  blue   over  their 


Lect.  VIII.]  THE  FLOWERS.  173 

A  dark  picture.  A  garden  hung  up  in  the  air. 

faces,  the  buds  that  swell  and  burst,  and  the 
very  trees  that  seem  to  clap  their  hands  for 
joy,  —  all   preach   about    God  ! 

"  Consider  the  lilies ! "  We  must,  my  dear 
children,  study  the  works  of  God.  O,  he  might 
have  made  the  grass  to  be  colored  like  the  dirt 
in  the  street ;  the  trees  to  shoot  up  their  branch- 
es like  iron  wire,  without  a  green  leaf  to  cover 
them;  the  morning  sky  to  be  black,  like  the  pall 
on  a  coffin ;  and  he  might  have  made  every 
beast  to  howl  in  pain,  and  every  bird  to  shriek 
in  notes  of  agony,  and  every  bush  to  bristle 
with  thorns,  and  every  flower  to  hang  its  head 
in  a  sickly  yellow,  with  a  fragrance  like  that  of 
an  old  grave;  and  the  sparkling  brooks  might 
have  been  made  to  lie  still  and  dead;  and  yet, 
he  has  made  the  flowers  to  smile  on  us,  and  has 
hung,  as  it  were,  a  whole  flower-garden  lifted  up 
on  a  single  apple-tree,  and  has  clothed  the  pear, 
the  peach,  and  the  cherry  trees  in  beautiful  flow- 


174  THE  FLOWERS.  [Lect.  VIIL 

First  thing  to  tliink  of.  "  Here  we  are !  " 

ers,  like  a  queen's  robe  thrown  over  each  tree. 
The  fields  of  grain  send  abroad  their  perfume. 
The  very  potato  has  a  charming  flower.  All 
these  hath  God  made,  not  to  be  eaten,  or  drunk, 
or  burned  up,  but  to  make  our  hearts  glad  and 
our  eyes  delighted.     Consider  the  flowers. 

1.  How  many  Jioivers  God  has  made. 

I  have  sometimes  been  deep  in  the  wild 
American  forests,  sometimes  have  followed  a 
great  river  up  in  the  forest  till  it  became  so 
small  that  I  could  step  over  it,  sometimes  have 
climbed  mountains  very  lofty,  and  then  have 
gone  down  into  deep  valleys ;  but  I  have  hardly 
ever  been  to  the  spot,  where  the  light  of  the  sun 
comes,  where  I  have  not  found  flowers.  They 
look  into  the  water  as  they  lean  over  it  on 
the  bank  of  every  stream ;  they  peep  out  of  the 
cracks  in  the  rocks ;  they  stand  smiling  at  the 
mouth  of  the  dark  cavern,  —  and  everywhere 
seem  to  say,  "  Here  we  are !     God  has  been  here 


Lkct.  VIII.]  THE   FLOWERS.  175 

The  flower's  speech.  The  rose  and  the  tuhp. 

to  plant  us  !  "  Under  the  burning  sun  of  the 
South,  and  far  up  among  the  icebergs  of  the 
North,  we  find  the  bright,  sun-kissed  flower, 
or  the  pale,  meek  dweller  among  the  snows. 
The  flower !  Hear  its  voice  !  ''  I  am  willing  to 
hang  over  the  deep,  awful  precipice,  or  to  bloom 
in  the  window  of  the  poorest  cottage,  or  to  live 
in  the  spray  and  the  thunderings  of  the  cat- 
aract, or  to  cheer  the  room  of  the  sick  man, 
or  to  smile  in  the  din  and  noise  of  the  factory, 
or  to  live  in  the  smoky  lane  of  the  city,  or 
to  add  new  beauty  to  the  costliest  palace  ever 
reared !  " 

You  set  out  one  little  stem  of  a  rose,  and 
place  it  in  your  window,  (and  there  are  as  many 
as  two  thousand  kinds  of  roses,)  and  its  bud 
will  swell,  and  it  will  open  its  petals  and  shed 
out  its  fragrance,  and  long  cheer  you,  as  it  hangs 
on  its  little  stalk,  trembling  in  its  beauty.  You 
plant  the  bulb  of  the  tulip  in  the  ground,  and  it 


176  THE   FLOWERS.  [Lect.  VIIL 

The  second  thino;  to  think  of. 

sleeps  there  all  the  winter ;  but  in  the  spring  it 
comes  out  and  blossoms,  and  makes  every  passer- 
by to  pause  and  consider  its  beauty.  From  the 
tall  cedar  on  the  top  of  Lebanon  to  the  hyssop 
in  the  wall,  the  moss  or  lichen  on  the  rock,  the 
world  is  full  of  the  most  beautiful  flowers. 

2.  Consider  hoiv  many  kinds  of  flowers  God 
has  made. 

When  we  go  out  and  walk  over  a  field,  we 
tread  on  a  multitude  of  flow^ers,  white,  red, 
blue,  and  yellow,  whose  names  we  do  not  even 
know.  Every  kind  of  fiow^er  now  found  in 
gardens  or  in  greenhouses,  once  grew  wild  in 
the  fields.  In  one  single  garden,  or  in  one 
greenhouse,  what  a  great  variety  do  you  see ! 
How  bright  the  red  is  on  some  !  How  pure 
the  white  on  others  !  How  soft  the  velvet,  or 
how  faint  and  lovely  the  blush  is  spread  over 
others  !  Up  the  same  little  stem  the  juices 
run,  and  are  then  colored,  and  spread  over  the 


Lect.  VIII.]  THE   FLOWERS.  177 

The  third  tiling  to  be  thought  of.  Broken  teapot. 

leaves  and  flowers  so  softly,  tJiat  you  can  hardly 
tell  where  one  color  begins,  or  another  ends. 

3.  Consider  how  beautiful  God  has  made  the 
flowers. 

Perhaps  there  are  some  people  who  see  no 
more  beauty  in  a  flower,  than  if  it  were  a  cab- 
bage ;  and  the  finest  rose  is  nothing  to  them ; 
and  perhaps  there  are  those  who  take  no  pleas- 
ure in  music,  and  who  would  not  thrill  at  the 
song  of  angels.  But  such  people  are  not  often 
found.  We  admire  what  is  beautiful,  and  we 
cannot  help  it.  What  makes  the  poor  washer- 
woman save  her  broken  teapot  and  plant  her 
flower  in  it,  and  watch  it  every  day,  and  feel 
such  a  joy  when  it  blossoms  ?  A  poor  prisoner 
tells  us,  that  from  his  little  grated  window  he 
could  just  see  a  wall-flower  that  was  creeping 
up  in  the  prison-yard,  and  trying  to  get  into  the 
sun.  Every  day  and  hour  he  watched  it;  and 
when  it  got  up  high,  it  seemed  to  rejoice  and 


178  THE  FLOWERS.  [Lect.  VIII. 

The  prisoner  and  the  wall-flower.  The  city  cellar. 

look  over  the  wall,  green  and  thrifty,  as  much 
as  to  say,  "  I  am  willing  that  my  foot  should 
be  in  the  prison-yard,  pinched  up  among  the 
bricks,  if  I  may  only  get  sunlight  and  pure  air, 
and  look  up  into  the  bright  heavens  !  "  The 
tenant  of  the  dungeon  seemed  to  feel  that  the 
wall-flower  knew  him,  and  answered  back  his 
love,  and  smiled  upon  him.  It  was  the  only 
thing  in  all  the  world  that  seemed  to  care  for 
him.  But  one  day  a  rude  or  a  wicked  hand 
destroyed  it !  O,  then  he  felt  that  the  last  and 
only  friend  he  had  in  the  world  was  gone, 
and  he  sat  down  and  wept  like  a  child  !  What 
comfort  in  the  sight  of  one  common  flower ! 
"What  makes  the  poor  dweller  in  the  city 
cellar,  where  the  sunlight  never  comes,  try  so 
hard  to  make  her  little  pale  flower  live  \  She 
gives  it  almost  all  of  her  dingy  window.  What 
makes  the  sick  one  smile,  when  a  bunch  of 
flowers  is  brought  to  his    bedside,  and  feel   as 


Lect.  Vm.]  THE  FLOWERS.  179 


Flowers  in  the  coffin.  How  to  improve  flowers. 

if  they  were  the  smiles  of  angels  1  What 
makes  the  mother  pluck  the  fairest  flowers, 
and  put  them  into  the  coffin  of  her  child,  so 
that  the  memory  of  the  last  look  upon  her 
child  shall  be  connected  with  the  beauty  of 
flowers  which  clustered  on  its  bosom,  or  were 
held  in  the  waxen  hand  ]  There  is  not  a 
prison  or  a  dungeon  in  the  world  where  the 
heart  would  not  be  softened  by  one  single 
flower.  And  what  is  curious,  there  is  not  a 
flower  on  the  wide  prairie,  or  on  the  high  moun- 
tain, or  in  the  deep  valley,  so  beautiful  that 
it  may  not  be  made  more  beautiful  by  culture. 
The  rose  becomes  more  "  double,"  and  the  tulip 
and  the  carnation  wear  a  more  gorgeous  dress, 
and  every  variety  is  greatly  improved  by  cul- 
ture. Perhaps  this  was  a  part  of  the  care  of 
Adam  in  the  garden  of  Eden.  I  never  see  a 
flower  droop  without  a  feeling  of  sadness,  or 
crushed   without   feeling    pain,    or    a   leaf    fall 


180  THE  FLOWERS.  [Lect.  VIII. 

Rose-bud  on  the  tomb.  How  we  use  flowers. 

without  feeling  regret.  Some  flowers  seem  to 
speak  to  the  eye,  by  their  great  beauty ;  and 
some  to  the  smell,  by  their  fragrance  and  sweet- 
ness. And  if  the  flowers  could  break  out  in 
singing,  in  proportion  to  their  number  and 
beauty,  how  would  the  fields,  the  hills,  the 
valleys,  the  forests,  and  the  mountains  send  out 
melody,  sweet  almost  as  that  of  heaven  !  The 
mother  calls  her  infant  a  flower.  If  it  dies, 
a  rose-bud,  unopened,  carved  on  the  tombstone, 
tells  the  story.  Were  we  to  weave  a  garland 
for  the  greatest  and  the  best  man  that  ever 
lived,  we  should  weave  it  of  flowers  ;  and  thus 
the  human  heart  is  always  saying  that  flowers 
are  the  most  beautiful  things  in  the  world. 
We  want  them  to  adorn  the  palace  of  kings  ; 
we  want  them  at  the  great  festival;  we  place 
them  on  the  brow  of  the  fair  bride ;  we  want 
them  in  the  saloon  of  wealth  ;  we  want  them 
in  our  sick-room,  and  their  presence  and  per- 


Lect.  VIII.]  THE   FLOWERS.  181 


Xiffht-blooming  Cereus. 


fume  must  cheer  our  coffins.     It  is  the  jioicer  — 
not   one  made  of  wax,  or  paper,   or  cloth,  but 
a  real  flower  —  that  we  want,  such  as  was  pen- 
cilled   by    the    Divine    hand.       Some    of    these 
creations  of  God  are  so  delicate,  that  they  must 
open  in  the  night,  and  look  out  by   star-light 
for  a  moment,  and  then  shut  up  again  for  ever ! 
One    can    almost   weep    to    watch    and   see   the 
night-blooming  Cereus,  —  bursting  out  with  al- 
most the  beauty  of  an  angel,  and,  too   delicate 
for  earth,    perishing   before    morning !       On    a 
calm  Sabbath  morning,  when  the  whole  of  crea- 
tion  seems  waiting  for  a  visit  from  the   great 
King  and   Maker,  how   the    flowers,   even    the 
humblest  in  your  garden,  the  shrubbery  at  your 
door,  the  great  trees  in  the  orchard,  the  flowers 
that  grow  wild  and  alone  on  the  hill  and  in  the 
fields,  all  wake  up,  bathed  and  washed  in  dew, 
and  all  seeming  to  long  for  a  voice  with  which 
to  praise  God !     Consider  the  flowers,  and  tell 

12 


182  THE   FLOWERS.  [Lect.  VIII. 

Teachings  of  flowers.  A  sad  thought. 

US  what  is  their  language  ?  Do  they  not  speak 
of  the  greatness,  the  skill,  and  the  wisdom  of  that 
Being  who  hath  sowed  them  all  over  the  earth, 
in  numbers  almost  infinite,  and  painted  them 
with  a  skill  more  than  human  ?  AVhat  a 
beautiful  song  was  that  of  Solomon  when  he 
said,  "  Lo !  the  winter  is  past ;  the  rain  is  over 
and  gone  ;  the  flowers  appear  on  the  earth  ;  the 
time  of  the  singing  of  birds  is  come,  and  the 
voice  of  the  turtle  is  heard  in  our  land."  In 
some  countries,  they  carry  fresh  garlands  of  flow- 
ers and  hang  them  over  the  grave  of  the  dead,  as 
if  the  cold  sleeper  beneath  the  sods  must  still 
enjoy  the  beauty  and  fragrance  of  flowers. 

Hoiv  stupid  too  many  are ! 

There  are  gardens  that  never  had  a  flower  in 
them,  and  parlors  that  never  were  gladdened  by 
a  blossom,  and  so  there  are  hearts  that  never 
loved  them !  But  ask  that  father  why  he  is 
so  choice  of  that  little  tree  which  was  planted  in 


Lect.  Vm.]  THE  FLOWERS.  183 

A  child's  doings.  The  dying  boy.  Language  of  the  rose. 

the  garden  by  his  little  son,  before  he  went  down 
into  the  'grave  ]  Ask  that  mother  why  she  stops 
and  stands  still  before  that  little  flower,  planted 
by  her  loving  child  before  she  left  her  to  go  far 
away  from  the  home  of  her  childhood  ?  Ah,  it 
was  because  a  loved  hand  planted  them,  and 
they  seem  to  speak  of  them  !  They  are  memori- 
als. And  ought  we  not  to  admire  the  flower 
w^hich  our  Heavenly  Father  planted  and  painted 
and  beautified  ]  Does  not  each  one  speak  of 
Him  ?  Why,  if  one  of  these  little  children 
were  on  his  death-bed,  and  should  say  to  his 
mother,  "  I  shall  die,  my  mother,  but  the  flower 
that  I  planted  will  live ;  and  when  I  am  in  the 
grave,  will  you  not  bend  over  it  and  think 
of  your  little  boy  ]  "  Would  not  his  mother 
cherish  and  love  that  flower,  and  w^ater  it  with 
her  tears  ]  And  the  rose  that  folds  her  leaves 
on  her  beautiful  bosom,  and  that  hangs  her  head 
and  fills   the  air  with  fragrance,  seems  to  say, 


184  THE  FLOWERS.  [Lect.  VIIL 

Stupidity  of  men.  Beauty  for  all. 

"  God  made  me  to  smile  on  you,  and  make  you 
think  of  him !  "  And  yet  men  will  trannple  on 
flowers,  pass  by  them  without  one  look,  or, 
if  they  see  them,  give  not  one  thought  to  God  ! 
O,  how  many  will  enter  your  parlor  and  admire 
your  skill  and  your  care  in  rearing  the  beautiful 
flowers  in  your  windows,  without  giving  one 
thought  to  the  skill  and  wisdom  of  Him  who 
created  them !  If  they  consider  the  lilies,  they 
do  not  consider  Him  who  made  them.  Why 
can  they  not  lift  the  heart  to  Him  whose  sun- 
beams spread  the  difl*erent  colors  so  clear  and 
bright,  so  distinct  and  yet  blended  together,  so  as 
no  human  pencil  could  paint  them ! 

The  world  is  full  of  beauty,  created  by  our 
kind  Heavenly  Father,  not  for  the  rich  and  the 
great  merely,  but  for  all,  so  that  the  poorest 
man  may  have  his  cottage  made  as  cheerful 
as  if  he  were  a  king.  We  get  tired  of  a  flower 
in  a  lady's  bonnet  made  by  human  skill,  but  we 


Lect.  viil]  the  flowers.  185 

Voices  all  around  us.  Creation's  testimony. 

never  tire  over  those  that  God  made.  His  sun 
is  gold,  his  stars  are  silver;  his  birds  and  insects 
on  the  wing  in  the  air,  and  the  swift  swimmers 
down  in  the  deep  waters,  are  painted  most 
exquisitely.  The  little  flower  that  hangs  on  its 
tiny  stem ;  and  the  stars  that  flash  in  the  great 
arch  of  heaven ;  and  the  morning,  after  the  veil 
of  night  is  lifted  up,  coming  up  from  the  east, 
fresh  as  if  bathed  in  the  dews  of  the  first 
creation;  and  the  spring,  breathing  life  into 
every  pore  of  the  earth ;  and  the  sun  wrapped  in 
the  drapery  of  kings,  riding  on  a  canopy  of 
gold ;  and  men  standing  erect,  with  their  bones 
and  joints  and  skin  and  limbs  all  in  health,  with 
a  voice  that  can  make  the  heart  thrill,  whether 
lifted  up  in  song  or  in  eloquence,  with  an  eye 
that  flashes  intelligence  or  aflection,  and  with  a 
mind  that  makes  him  the  lord  of  the  world,  — 
these  all  are  made  by  God,  to  show  us  what 
beautiful  things  he  can  make ! 


186  THE   FLOWERS.  [Lect.  VIU. 

Memories  of  the  old  man.  Old  Homer. 

Is  it  not  wonderful  that  all  religions,  whether 
the  true  or  a  fable,  —  a'l  have,  as  a  part  of  their 
history,  the  story  of  the  garden  where  man  was 
first  placed  '?  Not  one  that  does  not  mingle  the 
garden,  and  running  waters,  and  immortal  trees 
and  fruits,  as  the  best  heaven  the  imagination 
can  form !  When  an  old  man  goes  back  in 
memory  to  the  days  of  his  childhood,  he  always 
goes  back  to  the  garden  whose  alleys  he  trod, 
and  whose  flowers  he  gathered,  and  whose 
shade  he  sat  under,  when  the  grass  was  green 
and  bees  were  humming,  and  everything  was  so 
bright. 

Old  Homer,  the  great  poet,  who  lived  a  great 
while  ago,  tells  us  that  Laertes,  one"  of  his 
heroes,  returned  home  from  the  wars  to  his 
enclosed  grass-plat,  surrounded  by  his  thirteen 
pear-trees  !  —  probably  the  description  of  the 
very  garden  that  Homer  himself  played  in  when 
a  little  boy ! 


Lect.  VIIL]  THE   FLOWERS.  187 

The  three  gardens.  Bright  thoughts. 

When  God  talked  with  Adam  at  his  creation, 
he  took  him  to  a  garden,  and  gave  it  to  him  as 
his  home.  When  the  Saviour  went  out  to  pray, 
the  very  night  before  he  was  put  to  death, 
he  went  to  a  garden  ;  and  when  he  was  buried, 
it  was  in  a  garde7i.  And  the  heaven  to  which 
he  will  take  his  people  is  called  Paradise,  or  a 
garden. 

What  will  heaven  he? 

Here,  our  climate  chills  and  blights,  the  insects 
cut  off  our  beautiful  things,  and  the  fairest  that 
earth  knows  must  die !  Here,  it  is  said,  the 
nightingale  must  have  her  eyes  put  out  to  make 
her  song  the  sweetest ;  the  flower  must  have 
water  withheld  to  make  its  blossoms  the  richest, 
and  its  leaves  must  be  crushed  to  make  them 
give  out  their  sweetest  perfume.  But  in  heaven, 
the  flowers  that  died  in  Eden  when  sin  entered 
will  live,  never  to  die.  There  will  be  no  coffined 
child  with  flowers  in  its  fingers  to  make  death 


188  THE   FLOWERS.  [Lect.  VIIL 

Grave  of  the  young  girl.  Nothing  good  to  be  lost. 

seem  less  gloomy.  I  once  attended  the  funeral 
of  a  lovely  girl  about  fifteen  years  old,  and  after 
the  coffin  was  put  down  in  its  deep  grave, 
her  weeping  schoolmates  came  up  and  looked 
into  the  cold  grave,  and  then  cast  their  flowers 
and  bouquets  on  the  coffin,  and  almost  covered 
it.  It  seemed  like  Hope  going  down  and  cheer- 
ing the  darkness  of  the  tomb.  But  I  thought, 
too,  that  He  who  made  those  flowers  so  beauti- 
ful would  raise  up  that  Christian  child  and 
cause  her  to  bloom,  —  a  flower  in  the  garden 
of  God  for  ever.  Ah,  indeed !  the  roses  that 
grow  there  will  never  fade  nor  decay.  All  that 
is  beautiful  here,  in  form  or  color  or  deed  or 
character,  will  be  there.  The  beautiful  things 
here,  are  only  what  were  left  after  sin  had 
blighted  Eden,  and  the  immortal  flowers  had 
all  been  removed. 

Children,  when  the  earth  shall  be  burned  up, 
all  that  we  admire  and  love  so  much  will  not 


Lect.  Vni.]  THE  FLOWERS.  189 


Preaching:  of  the  flowers. 


be  destroyed  !  No,  God  will  save  it  all !  He 
will  have  it  in  heaven.  Consider  the  flowers  ! 
Each  one,  though  its  foot  is  in  the  ground,  lifts 
its  head  as  high  towards  heaven  as  it  can,  and 
each  one  seems  to  preach  to  us  of  the  wisdom 
and  power  and  goodness  of  God,  and  each  one 
seems  to  ask,  "  "Will  these  children  fear  and 
love  and  obey  Christ,  so  that  they  may  all  be 
transplanted  to  the  garden  of  heaven,  or  will 
they  be  wicked,  and  for  ever  be  separated  from 
all  that  is  beautiful  and  lovely  and  good,  in  all 
the  kingdom  of  God '?  "  A  world  where  not  a 
flower  will  ever  grow  !     What  a  world ! 


LECTURE    IX. 

THE  ANGEL'S  EERAND. 

Are  not  Jive  sparroios  sold  for  two  farthings,  and  not  one 
of  them  is  forgotten  hefore  God'}  Ye  are  of  more  value 
than  many  sparrows.  —  Luke  xii.  6,  7. 

Contents.  —  How  to  make  a  great  river.  Wide  country  and  long  river. 
American  birds.  Englisti  birds.  Sparrow  of  tiie  Bible.  The  dead  spar- 
row. Tiie  dead  babe.  God  cares  for  all.  Value  of  a  soul.  Powers  of 
the  sparrow.  Cannot  think  or  plan.  Storm  among  mountains.  Descrip- 
tion. Shadows.  Bright  visions.  Child  in  the  cradle.  What  the  child 
may  become.  Fifty  years  of  life.  Child  and  sparrow  compared.  Sir 
John  Franklin.  What  a  man  may  become.  What  is  it  to  do  great  things  ? 
Many  miracles  daily.  Two  strangers  meeting.  Society  of  heaven.  The 
children  present.  What  they  will  be.  Christ's  care.  All  are  remem- 
bered. Little  fruit-tree.  What  to  live  hereafter.  Angels  on  the  star. 
Their  dialogue.  The  angel's  errand.  WTiat  he  did  on  earth.  Watching 
the  child.  What  the  sower  has  done.  End  of  earth.  The  future  of  the 
good  man. 

A  SMALL  island  cannot  have  large  rivers.  In 
order  to  have  a  great  river,  the  rains  must  fall, 
and  the  snows  must  melt  a  long  way  off  from 


Lect.  IX]  the   ANGEL'S   ERRAND.  193 

How  to  make  a  great  river.  Wide  country  and  long  river. 

the  ocean  ;  and  as  the  river  begins  to  run,  there 
must  be  hundreds,  and  even  thousands,  of  little 
ponds  and  great  lakes,  which  first  receive  the 
waters,  and  then  give  them  out  to  feed  the  river. 
Thus  the  stream,  which  sets  out  small,  receives 
water  from  every  pond  and  lake  till  it  reaches 
the  ocean.  When  it  first  starts,  you  might 
almost  empty  the  spring  with  a  little  cup. 
From  the  very  nature  of  things,  a  wide  country 
and  great  rivers  go  together.  Probably  there 
are  at  least  ten  thousand  of  these  reservoirs 
to  make  the  one  river,   St.  Lawrence. 

And  where  there  are  great  rivers,  there  are 
great  plains,  and  great  mountains,  and  tall  trees, 
and  everything  seems  to  correspond,  and  to  be 
made  on  a  great  scale.  When  the  first  settlers 
of  America  came  here,  they  left  their  homes 
in  the  beautiful  island  of  Great  Britain.  There 
they  had  wild  birds,  which  they  had  known 
from  infancy.     When  they  reached  these  shores, 


194  THE   ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  [Leci.  IX. 

American  birds.  English  birds. 

the  birds  were  different,  and  usually  larger. 
The  robin  of  England  was  not  here,  nor  was 
the  lark,  nor  the  sparrow ;  and  so  they  gave 
the  name  of  robin  to  a  larger  bird  than  their 
old  acquaintance  at  home.  So  of  the  lark  and 
the  sparrow.  Our  sparrow  is  larger  than  the 
English,  and  so  is  our  lark  larger  than  theirs. 
Their  sparrow  lives  in  the  cities  ;  ours  in  the 
country.  Theirs  builds  its  nest  on  the  house- 
tops or  in  the  eaves ;  ours  in  the  grass,  or  in 
the  low  bush.  Theirs  fly  in  flocks,  and  fre- 
quent the  cities,  and  flutter  on  the  pavements  ; 
ours  for  the  most  part  is  a  solitary  bird,  and 
never  goes  near  the  city.  Our  robin  perches 
on  the  top  of  trees,  and  pours  out  a  loud  song ; 
theirs  sings  more  on  the  wing,  and  in  far  less 
loud  and  solemn  notes.  Our  lark  gets  on  the 
very  top  of  the  tree  before  he  really  sings ; 
theirs  begins  at  the  ground,  and  sings  as  he 
rises  up  towards    the  sky,   in  notes  more    and 


Lect.  IX.]  THE  ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  195 

Sparrow  of  the  Bible.  The  dead  sparrow. 

more  joyous,    till   he    is    lost   in    the    vault    of 
heaven. 

The  sparrow  of  the  Scriptures  is  probably  the 
same  as  the  English,  —  dwelling  in  multitudes 
in  cities,  and  so  plenty  that  they  really  have 
no  value  in  the  estimation  of  men.  Five  of 
them  are  worth  only  two  farthings,  —  one  cent 
of  our  money !  Five  birds  for  a  cent !  And 
yet,  Christ  assures  us,  "  not  one  of  them  is 
forgotten  before  God  !  "  Why  should  a  spar- 
row be  thought  of  so  little  consequence,  while 
a  human  being  is  so  much  more  esteemed  ] 
A  sparrow  may  be  found  killed  in  the  street, 
but  no  one  would  pick  it  up,  or  even  stop  to 
look  at  it.  But  let  a  little  child  be  found  killed 
and  thrown  into  the  street,  and  the  whole  com- 
munity would  be  moved,  and  the  officers  of 
justice  would  at  once  search  and  scour  the 
region  to  find  who  did  it.  The  little  sparrow 
might  lose    its  parents   and    cry  for   food,   and 


196  THE   ANGEL'S   ERRAND.  [Lect.  IX. 

The  dead  babe.  God  cares  for  all. 

no  one  would  heed  it.  But  let  tlie  motherless 
and  fatherless  child  cry  for  food,  and  how  quick 
the  hand  is  stretched  out  to  feed  it !  Let  a 
cold  storm  beat  upon  a  thousand  sparrows  and 
kill  them  all,  and  it  would  be  hardly  noticed  ; 
but  let  two  little  children  be  found  frozen  to 
death,  locked  in  each  other  s  arms,  and  the  story 
will  electrify  the  whole  people  of  the  land ! 
And  yet,  God  remembers  every  such  little  bird, 
sees  it  the  fledgling  in  the  nest,  watches  it 
when  it  first  tries  its  wing,  and  creates  every 
seed  that  it  eats  and  every  crumb  that  it  picks 
up !  The  little  creature  may  have  no  value 
in  the  estimation  of  men,  but  he  is  God's 
workmanship.  He  is  one  of  God's  creatures, 
and  "  his  tender  mercies  are  over  all  his  works." 
And  yet,  though  God  never  lets  one  of  these  go 
out  of  his  memory  or  his  care,  he  holds  one 
human  soul  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows. 
Yes,  you  might  gather  together  all  the  fowls  of 


Lect.  IX.]  THE  ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  19T 

Value  of  a  soul.  Powers  of  the  sparrow. 

heaven  that  ever  sang  a  note,  or  uttered  a 
twitter  of  joy,  —  you  might  hring  into  one  field 
all  the  animals  that  ever  lived,  and  into  one  sea 
all  the  fish  that  ever  swam,  —  and  one  human 
soul  would  be  of  more  worth  than  all  these ! 

Man  is  created  on  a  higher  scale,  a  nobler 
being.  He  was  made  in  the  image  and  likeness 
of  God,  so  that  he  can  think  as  God  thinks, 
reason  as  God  reasons,  love  as  God  loves,  and 
feel  as  God  feels. 

The  little  sparrow  can  utter  a  few  notes  of  a 
song,  a  kind  of  joyous  twitter,  like  a  half-sup- 
pressed laugh,  without  meaning,  or  tune.  She 
can  fly  to  the  house-top  and  poise  herself  on  the 
pinnacle,  and,  it  may  be,  rise  up,  like  a  little 
ship  and  sail  high  in  the  air.  She  can  come 
down  and  hit  and  rest  on  the  smallest  twigf, 
or  touch  the  ground  at  the  very  spot  she  wishes. 
She  can  build  her  nest  and  rear  her  young 
as  her  parent  did  before  her.     But  she  cannot 


198  THE  ANGEL'S   ERRAND.  [Lect.  IX. 

Cannot  think  or  plan.  Storm  among  mountains. 

contrive  or  plan  or  reason.  If  the  worm  is  not 
created  and  made  ready,  if  the  seed  of  the  plant 
is  not  laid  up  in  its  pod,  she  must  go  hungry. 
She  makes  no  improvement  in  building  her  nest 
or  in  defending  it.  She  lays  no  plans  for  the 
future,  and  is  not  aware  to-day,  that  night  or 
storm  or  winter  will  ever  return.  If  she  has 
what  we  call  thought,  how  narrow  the  range  ! 
The  clear  morning  may  come;  the  landscape,  soft 
as  down,  and  bright  as  if  painted  by  angels,  may 
be  spread  out  before  her ;  the  mountains  and 
hills  may  rejoice,  and  the  trees  clap  their  hands 
for  joy,  —  and  yet  the  little  sparrow  has  no  in- 
terest in  all  this,  that  calls   out  admiration. 

Sometimes  the  traveller  among  the  lofty 
mountains,  that  shoot  up  in  the  wintry  sky 
like  pinnacles  of  silver,  finds  himself  and  the 
mountains  covered  with  a  veil  of  mist  which 
curls  and  winds  and  spreads  over  all  that  the 
eye    can    see.     But   this    veil    does   not   extend 


Lect   IX.l  THE   ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  199 

Description.  Shadows. 

all  the  way  up  the  mountains,  for  there  is  soon 
a  rent,  through  which  the  eye  pierces  as  through 
a  window,  and  then,  far, /ar  up  the  blue  sky,  he 
sees  the  turrets  of  silver  throwing  down  the 
bright  beams  of  the  sun,  that  is  cloudless  there. 
It  is  so  dark  and  shadowy  where  the  traveller 
stands,  and  the  light  is  so  intense  away  up 
through  the  opening,  that  it  seems  as  if  the 
mountain-tops  reached  into  heaven.  He  stands 
among  dark  shadows  of  wreathing  clouds,  but 
there  is  an  unearthly  brightness  up  there.  The 
mists  shift  and  twist  themselves  into  new  shapes, 
but  do  not  shut  up  the  opening.  It  seems  as  if 
he  could  almost  see  into  the 

"  House  of  our  Father  above, 
The  place  of  angels  and  of  God !  " 

The  mountain  turrets  become  pillars  of  light, 
and  look  like  cylinders  of  light  made  solid.  It 
carries  the  mind  but  a  little  Avay  further,  to  that 
city   whose   gates    are   pearl,    whose    walls    are 

13 


200  THE   ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  [Lect.  IX. 

Bright  visions.  Child  in  the  cradle. 

jasper,  whose  streets  are  gold,  and  whose  lofty 
turrets  reflect  afar  off  the  glory  of  God  and  of 
the  Lamb  !    That  city,  —  the  New  Jerusalem, — 

"  Immovably  founded  in  grace, 
She  stands  as  she  ever  hath  stood, 
And  brightly  her  Builder  displays, 
And  flames  with  the  glory  of  God  !  " 

Ah,  all  the  sparrows  that  God  hath  ever  created 
cannot  have  such  visions,  or  lift  up  such 
thoughts  to  the  great  God ! 

To-day  there  may  sleep  in  the  cradle,  the  little 
child,  who  has  not  yet  so  much  as  a  name.  No- 
body but  his  family  speaks  of  him  or  thinks  of 
him.  And  yet,  in  fifty  years  from  this  time,  that 
child  may  be  turning  his  telescope  towards  the 
stars,  and  measuring  the  size  and  distances  of 
the  sun  and  the  stars  that  glitter  in  the  sky. 
He  may  be  able  to  tell  even  the  weight  of 
worlds  so  distant  that  it  would  take  ages  to  fly 
to  them. 


Lect.  IX.]  THE  ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  201 


What  the  child  may  become.  Fifty  years  of  life. 

Or  he  may  be  able  to  cross  the  currents  of 
the  ocean,  and  through  storms  and  winds,  in 
a  path  never  trodden  before,  may  visit  every 
land  that  is  washed  by  the  oceans. 

Or  he  may  plan  and  rear  a  building  that  shall 
stand  thousands  of  years,  admired  and  wondered 
over  by  every  eye  that  gazes  upon  it.  Such  a 
building  is  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  in  London,  St. 
Peter  s  at  Kome,  and  many  an  old  heathen  tem- 
ple that  has  outlived  the  name  of  its  builder. 

Or  he  may  found  a  school  and  endow  it,  and 
it  shall  live  like  a  never-failing  fountain,  and 
send  out  educated  minds  down  to  the  end  of 
time,  and  be  a  blessing  to  every  generation. 

Or  he  may  write  a  book  which  shall  move 
and  mould  his  own  generation,  and  which  shall 
live  and  be  read  by  men  in  all  countries  and 
languages  as  long  as  the  world  shall  last.  This 
is  true  of  many  a  poem,  and  is  especially  true  of 
every  book  in   the  Bible.     In  fifty  years,  that 


202  THE  ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  [Lect.  IX. 

Child  and  sparrow  compared.  Sir  John  Franklin. 

babe  may  invent  something  that  shall  be  like 
the  railroad  or  the  telegraph,  which  shall  be- 
come the  property  of  the  world,  carry  his  name 
over  the  wide  earth,  and,  what  is  more  and  bet- 
ter, become  a  blessing  as  wide  as  the  world,  and 
as  long  as  time  shall  last.  Truly,  we  may  well 
feel  that,  in  the  sight  of  God,  such  a  child  in 
the  cradle  is  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows ! 

Who  can  tell  how  much  a  single  human  life 
is  worth,  even  though  it  be  only  the  short  life  of 
earth !  How  the  world  has  been  moved  to  find 
Sir  John  Franklin,  frozen  and  perishing  far 
up  among  the  eternal  ices  of  the  North  !  Four 
millions  of  money  have  been  expended  and 
many  lives  lost  in  the  vain  search.  Sir  John 
was  an  old  man ;  but  I  suppose  if  it  were  known 
that  he  still  lives,  and  his  life  could  be  saved  and 
he  brought  back  again  by  a  ship  loaded  with 
gold,  it  would  be   raised  and  sent ! 

But  who  can  begin  to  tell  what  a  man  may 


Lect.  IX.]  THE  ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  203 


What  a  man  may  become.  What  is  it  to  do  gre.it  things? 

become  and  do  in  all  the  ages  of  eternity? 
When  the  nations  of  the  earth  have  all  passed 
away,  when  time  shall  come  to  an  end,  and 
there  shall  be  no  more  day  or  night,  no  more 
earth  or  water,  no  more  sun  or  moon,  Avhen 
every  grave  shall  be  opened,  —  then  the  soul 
has  just  begun  to  live. 

Suppose  a  man  could  now  step  out  into  the 
regions  of  space,  and,  by  a  word,  could  create 
a  new  world  by  his  own  skill  and  power ;  or, 
suppose  he  could  go  to  the  sun,  and  stand  at 
the  gates  of  light  and  let  out  the  morning,  and 
shut  the  gates  and  make  the  evening ;  or  sup- 
pose he  could  speak  to  the  fields,  and  they 
would  yield  their  increase,  and  feed  all  the  cattle 
and  creatures  that  live  on  the  face  of  the  earth  ; 
—  why !  you  would  say,  that  man  can  do  great 
things,  he  has  wonderful  powTr !  You  would 
like  to  see  the  man  who  had  planned  and 
reared   a  new  world ;  you  would   like   to    talk 


204  THE  ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  [Lect.  IX. 


Many  miracles  daily.  Two  strangers  meeting. 

with  the  man  who  had  travelled  to  the  sun  and 
seen  the  wonders  of  his  burning  face  ;  you 
would  like  to  know  the  man  who  could  make 
the  wheat  and  the  corn  and  the  trees  and  the 
flowers  to  grow  as  he  said  and  chose  ;  but  no 
wise  man  would  exchange  what  he  may  be  and 
do  and  enjoy^  during  the  ages  of  eternity,  for 
any  such  power.  The  soul  has  powers  yet 
to  be  brought  out.  She  was  made  to  be  like 
God,  and  to  be  with  him  for  ever. 

When  two  men  came  back  to  earth  and  met 
Christ  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  they 
appeared  as  they  appear  in  heaven.  They  wore 
robes  of  light.  But  they  had  been  in  heaven 
but  a  few  hundred  years ;  what  would  they 
not  be,  when  they  have  been  there  ages  and 
thousands  of  ages  \  A  man  here  who  has  spent 
years  in  the  palaces  of  kings  is  supposed  to 
be  refined  and  appropriate  in  behavior.  If 
he  has   spent  years  with    statesmen    and   great 


Lect.  IX.]  the   ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  205 

Society  of  heaven.  The  children  present. 

men,  he  is  supposed  to  have  great  thoughts  and 
wide  views.  But  what  would  that  be,  compared 
with  Uving  and  talking  with  a  man  who  had 
lived  in  heaven,  —  who  had  talked  with  Abra- 
ham there,  seen  Moses  and  David  and  Isaiah 
and  Paul  and  the  Son  of  God  himself,  —  who 
had  been  instructed  by  the  angels  of  light,  and 
seen  all  the  great  family  of  God  in  heaven  ] 
I  sometimes  am  called  to  speak  to  a  great 
assembly  of  children.  I  do  not  know  them  by 
name.  I  never  saw  them  before,  and  may  never 
see  them  again.  But  I  know  that  among  them 
there  will  be  those  who  will  hereafter  be  skilful 
mechanics,  successful  merchants,  physicians,  law- 
yers, and  very  likely  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 
I  cannot  tell  what  great  and  good  men  may 
come  out  of  that  company.  I  cannot  tell  what 
good  and  noble  women  will  arise  from  among 
those  little  girls ;  but  I  know  that  some  of  the 
brightest    ornaments    of    earth   may   be    there. 


206  THE   ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  [Lect.  IX. 

What  they  will  be.  Christ's  care. 

I  know  that  there  may  be  those  there  who  will 
be  alive  after  I  am  dead,  and  that  they  may  all 
this  time  be  growing  good  ;  and  I  know,  too, 
that  each  one  may  become  an  angel  of  light, 
and  wear  a  crown  of  glory  brighter  than 
any  crown  that  king  or  queen  ever  wore  on 
earth,  —  for  it  is  the  crown  of  life ! 

"  Ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows." 
Christ  only  tells  us  of  how  little  value  a  spar- 
row is  in  the  estimation  of  men,  in  order  to 
tell  us  how  God  thinks  of  them,  never  forget- 
ting one  of  them  a  single  moment.  And  he 
tells  us  this  in  order  to  tell  us  something  more, 
and  that  is,  that  a  human  soul  is  of  more  value 
than  many  such  creatures.  If,  then,  he  never 
forgets  one  of  them,  how  sure  he  is  not  to 
forgfet  creatures  made  in  his  own  likeness ! 
That  poor  cripple  that  cannot  walk  or  move,  is 
not  so,  because  God  hath  overlooked  him,  but 
because  he  saw  it  was  for  the  best.     That  man 


Lect.  IX.]  THE   ANGEL'S   ERRAND.  207 

All  are  remembered.  Little  fruit-tree. 

lying  on  the  bed  of  pain,  tossing  and  racked, 
is  not  forgotten  ;  that  little  child,  too  feeble  to 
walk,  so  full  of  disease  that  he  will  never  see 
another  day  of  health,  is  not  forgotten  by  his 
Heavenly  Father  ;  that  old  man,  worn  out,  with 
blinded  eyes,  and  deaf  ears,  and  memory  and 
taste  gone,  trembling  and  shaking  as  he  tries 
to  move,  shut  away  from  the  world  and  cut  off 
from  all  enjoyments,  is  not  forgotten  by  his 
God !  We  love  children,  not  because  we  hope 
they  will  always  be  children,  but  we  love  them 
for  what  we  hope  they  will  become.  We  set 
out  the  little  fruit-tree,  and  watch  it  and  value 
it,  not  for  what  it  now  is,  but  for  what  we  hope 
it  will  become.  So  God  values  us  here,  not 
for  what  we  now  are,  nor  for  what  we  can 
now  do  for  him,  but  for  what  we  may  hereafter 
become.  He  has  heard  his  creation  as  it  groans 
under  the  curse  of  sin,  but  he  has  sent  his  Son 
to  redeem  no  part  of  it  but  the  soul  and  the 


208  THE   ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  [Lect.  IX. 

What  to  live  hereafter.  Angels  on  the  star. 

body  of  man.  He  has  sent  his  spnit  to  instruct 
and  call  and  sanctify  men,  but  nothing  else.  The 
sparrow  sings  to-day,  and  dies ;  but  there  is 
no  hereafter  for  her.  Christ  has  gone  to  pre- 
pare a  place,  —  not  for  the  great  elephant,  the 
useful  horse,  the  knowing  dog,  or  the  sweet 
singing-bird,  but  only  for  his  people.  They, 
of  all  the  earth,  alone  will  live  with  him  for 
ever. 

Suppose  that  on  one  of  those  far  distant  stars 
that  just  twinkle,  in  the  arch  of  heaven,  — 
a  thousand  times  farther  off  than  our  sun,  — 
two  angels  should  meet  in  their  long  flight. 
They  meet  with  faces  lighted  up  with  joy  and 
love. 

"  Where  hast  thou  been  1 "  says  one. 

"  Do  you  see  that  little  star,"  says  he,  "  that 
hangs  low,  as  if  about  to  set '? " 

"  Yes,  I  see  it ;  it  must  be  a  great  way  off !  " 

"  True ;  but  I  have  been  there  on  an  errand 


Lect.  IX.]  THE  ANGEL'S   ERRAND.  209 

Their  dialogue.  The  angel's  errand. 

of  goodness  from  the  great  Parent  of  all,  and 
my  errand  has  caused  that  world  to  thrill  with 
joy.  AVhere  hast  thou  been,  with  thy  wings 
soiled,  and  with  a  look  of  almost  weariness 
on  thy  face  V 

"  Hast  thou  ever  heard  of  a  world  called 
Earth  ]  " 

"  Yes,  often.  It  is  the  world  where  the  cross 
was  raised,  and  where  the  God-Man  died  to 
redeem.  I  have  seen  many  who  have  come 
from  that  world,  and  I  have  heard  them  sing 
and  mingle  with  the  white-robed  sons  of  light ! 
None  seem  to  be  so  full  of  joy  as  they.  How 
long  hast  thou  been  on  the  earth  1  " 

"  About  fifty  of  their  years ;  but  that  is  noth- 
ing, as  we  reckon  in  heaven  ! " 

"  What  was  thy  errand  ]  " 

"  A  little  child,  frail  as  a  flower,  was  commit- 
ted to  me  on  its  creation,  fifty  years  ago.  I  was 
to  guard  it,  to  bear  it  up  in  my  arms,  to  keep  it, 


210  THE   ANGEL'S   ERRAND.  [Lect.  IX. 


What  he  did  on  earth  Watchhig  the  cliild. 


to  shield  it,  and  to  do  all  I  could  to  fit  it  for 
heaven.  When  it  was  held  in  the  arms  at  the 
baptismal  font,  I  was  there.  When  it  went  into 
the  Sabbath  School,  I  went  with  it.  When 
it  first  lisped  the  name  of  God  in  prayer,  I 
knelt  down  with  it  by  the  side  of  its  little  bed. 
When  it  became  a  youth,  I  kept  with  it,  and 
often  whispered  to  the  conscience,  and  calmed  the 
passions,  and  drew  liim  back  from  harm.  When 
he  became  a  young  man,  and  had  launched  his 
boat  upon  the  ocean  of  life,  I  still  went  with  him. 
When  he  sinned,  I  grieved  and  covered  my  face. 
When  the  time  came  that  he  was  visited  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  the  question  was  to  be  decided 
whether  he  should  live  to  eternity  in  heaven 
or  in  hell,  I  hung  round  him  with  an  anxiety 
which  I  cannot  describe.  And  when  I  saw  the 
first  tear  of  penitence,  and  saw  hope  entering  his 
heart,  I  hastened  back  to  heaven  and  carried  the 
tidings  that  another  soul  had  received  the  offers 


Lect.  IX.]  THE  ANGEL'S  ERRAND.  211 

What  the  sower  has  done.  End  of  earth. 

of  life,  and  I  could  not  but  shout  with  them,  as 
I  united  in  the  joy  of  the  angels  in  the  presence 
of  God  over  this  sinner  who  had  repented ! 
I  went  back  again  to  my  charge  on  the  wing  of 
gladness,  to  minister  to  one  who,  as  I  knew, 
would  be  an  heir  of  salvation.  He  has  been 
struggling  with  temptations,  overcoming  sins, 
fighting  against  principalities  and  powers  and 
spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places ;  he  has 
been  sowing  seed  which  will  bear  fruit  on  earth 
as  long  as  that  world  lives;  he  has  been  kindling 
up  little  fires,  which  will  burn  and  give  out 
warmth  and  light  for  ages  to  come ;  he  has 
engraven  the  name  of  Christ  on  many  a  heart 
that  is  left  there,  and  his  influence  will  be  such, 
that,  though  dead,  he  shall  yet  speak !  He  has 
finished  his  course,  and  I  am  now,  as  you  see, 
leading  him  up  to  his  eternal  home  ! " 

"  Methinks  he  looks  feeble,  and  like  a  stran- 
ger!" 


212  THE   ANGEL'S   ERRAND.  [Lect.  IX. 


The  future  of  tlie  good  man. 


"  Yes,  but  remember  that  he  has  been  created 
but  fifty  of  the  little  years  of  earth,  that  he  has 
toiled  in  a  body,  and  in  a  world  of  sin  and  of 
temptation,  and  is  but  just  emerged  from  the 
house  of  clay,  and  the  dark  prison  of  earth. 
But  in  a  little  while,  I  shall  place  him  at  the 
feet  of  the  Lamb;  I  shall  see  him  fall  down  in 
unutterable  joy,  and  cry,  "  Thou  art  worthy." 
I  shall  see  him  clothed  in  while,  with  a  crown 
of  life  on  his  head,  and  a  harp  of  gold  in  his 
hand,  —  I  shall  see  him  passing  on  in  the  ages 
of  eternity  with  no  look  of  earth  about  him, 
except  his  gratitude  and  love  and  glorified  body, 
and  I  shall  see  him  become  an  angel,  and  I  shall 
fully  understand  the  words  uttered  on  earth  by 
the  great  Redeemer,  when  he  said  to  his  friends, 
"  Ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows  !  " 


LECTUEE     X. 

GOD    REJOICING. 

The  Lord  shall  rejoice  in  his  worhs.  —  Ps.  civ.  31. 

Contents.  —  Much  in  little.  Child's  arithmetic.  New  -watch.  The  flo-w- 
er.  Sea-shells.  Why  so  beautiful?  Flower  of  the  mountain.  Mottled 
fish.  Mountain  eagle.  The  horse  of  the  prairie.  God's  great  works. 
The  river  of  Egypt.  Bruce,  the  traveller.  The  head  of  the  Nile.  Per- 
fected works,  —  rainbow,  —  early  morning,  —  ocean,  —  forest-trees.  The 
cradle,  —  child,  —  the  man,  —  old  man,  —  glorified  man.  The  mechanic 
and  his  works.  Christ's  work.  The  "  Morning  Star."  Her  mission. 
Morning  stars  in  heaven.  Works  over  which  Christ  will  rejoice.  The 
mother's  joy,  —  the  pastor's,  —  the  missionary's.     God's  joy  for  ever. 

The  Bible  puts  a  great  deal  of  meaning  in 
a  few  words.  A  long  sermon  may  be  made 
on  a  short  text,  and  yet  much  meaning  in  the 
text  may  be  left  out.  Sometimes  we  meet  with 
a  new  picture  hanging  up  in  the  shop  windows, 
and  Ave  have  to  stop  and  study  it  a  long  time, 
to  see  if  we  understand  it.  Sometimes  it  takes 
long  and  hard  study  to  understand  a  very  small 


214  GOD   REJOICING.  [Lect.  X 

Child's  arithmetic.  New  watch.  The  flower. 

book.  The  child  may  take  up  a  little  arith- 
metic, and  it  seems  a  small  affair ;  but  it  takes 
him  long  days  of  hard  study  before  he  can 
understand  it.  He  might  take  a  bright  new 
watch  in  his  hand,  and  perhaps  be  able  to  tell 
the  time  of  day  by  looking  at  the  little  moving 
hands ;  but  it  would  take  him  a  long  time 
so  to  understand  the  watch  that  he  could  take 
out  all  the  little  wheels,  and  then  put  them  back 
again,  and  have  them  all  right.  Some  watches 
not  only  tell  the  hour  and  minute  of  time,  but 
the  year,  the  month,  the  day  of  the  month, 
the  day  of  the  week,  and  the  like.  What  a 
study  would  it  be  to  be  able  to  take  such  a 
watch  to  pieces  and  put  it  together  again ! 
Still  more,  to  be  able  to  make  such  a  curious 
thing  ! 

We  might  pluck  a  flower,  and  at  a  glance 
tell  its  name,  the  month  of  its  blooming,  the 
color  of  its  leaves,  and  the  shape  of  its  stalk ; 


Lect.  x.j  god  rkjoicixg.  215 

Sea-shells. 

but  how  long  would  it  take  us  to  be  able  to 
tell  how  the  juices  are  drawn  up  from  the 
ground,  what  makes  it  grow,  what  gives  its 
color,  what  determines  its  shape,  and  how  it 
has  life !  So  we  read  over  a  short  text  and 
think  we  understand  it ;  but  the  more  we  think 
it  over,  the  more  we  find  in  it.  I  have  been 
trying  to  understand  the  words  of  our  text. 
I  think  I  do  in  a  degree ;  but  not  fully,  I 
fear. 

Those  who  live  by  the  sea-side,  often  find 
that,  after  a  great  storm,  there  are  a  multitude 
of  little  shells  washed  up  from  the  bottom  of 
the  sea,  which  was  their  home.  Some  of  these 
are  like  gold ;  some  like  silver ;  some  spotted 
or  mottled ;  some  are  pink ;  some  green  ;  some 
look  as  if  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  had  fallen 
on  them,  and  painted  them  so  beautiful ;  and 
away  down  in  the  ocean  are  millions  of  such, 
mingled    with    pearls    and    coral,  —  and    all    as 

14 


216  GOD  REJOICING.  [Lect.  X 


Why  so  beautiful  ?  Flower  of  the  mountain. 

beautiful  as  possible.  Why  are  they  made  so 
beautiful  ?  What  eye  ever  sees  or  admires 
them  1  The  fish  that  swim  over  them  cannot 
admire  them ;  and  men  cannot  go  down  and 
walk  along  on  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  and  see 
these  beautiful  things.  Who  can  ?  God  can  ! 
His  mind  planned  every  one,  —  his  hand  formed 
every  one,  —  his  skill  painted  every  one.  Every 
day,  we  are  told,  after  creating  new  things,  God 
looked  upon  what  he  had  made,  and  saw  that  it 
all  was  very  good.  So  he  walks  down  in  the 
solitudes  of  the  ocean,  and  sees  the  gems  and 
the  pearls  and  all  the  beautiful  things  there, 
and  rejoices  over  his  works  !  Why  should  he 
not  1  They  are  the  creations  of  infinite  wisdom. 
Sometimes  we  climb  up  a  steep  mountain- 
side, and  when  we  have  got  far  up,  beyond 
where  the  trees  grow,  and  above  where  the 
bushes  grow,  we  come  to  a  steep  rock  up  which 
we  cannot  climb,  —  and  there,  far  up  on  a  shelf 


Lect.  X.]  GOD   REJOICING.  217 

Mottled  fijh.  Mountain  eagle. 

of  that  steep  rock,  hangs  a  little,  beautiful 
flower.  All  the  skill  of  earth  could  not  make 
one  like  it.  It  hangs  and  waves  there  alone, 
bending  its  head  to  the  winds,  and  pouring  its 
sweetness  on  the  air.  Whose  eye  will  see  it  ] 
Did  an  angel  ever  pause  and  fold  up  his  wings 
on  that  shelf  of  the  rock,  to  admire  that  little 
flower,  and  praise  its  Maker  1  We  do  not 
know  !  But  we  do  know  that  God  has  been 
there  and  seen  it  and  taken  care  of  it,  —  wash- 
ing its  face  in  the  dews  of  the  night,  and 
warming  it  with  the  sunbeams  of  the  day  !  We 
know  that  he  sees  the  beautiful  mottled  fish 
that  leaps  up  in  the  dark  river  of  the  forest,  and 
thus  mutely  praises  his  name.  No  human  eye 
can  see  the  wild  eagle  of  the  mountain,  as  he 
first  leaps  from  the  tree,  and  with  new  wings 
mounts  up  towards  heaven  ;  but  He  who  gave 
that  eagle  his  keen  eye  and  his  strong  wing,  and 
who  painted  every  feather  on  his  breast,  is  there, 


218  GOD   REJOICING.  [Lect.  X. 

The  horse  of  the  prairie.  God's  great  works. 

to  rejoice  over  his  works.  "When  the  lithe 
horse  of  the  prairie  bounds  forward  in  his  joy 
and  gladness,  snuffing  the  morning  air  without 
fear  or  restraint,  there  is  no  one  there  to  see  and 
admire  his  beautiful  form  and  free  movements ; 
but  God,  his  Maker  is  there,  and  he  rejoices 
over  his  works.  Anything  that  is  worthy  of 
his  hand  in  its  creation,  is  worthy  of  his  regard 
when  made.  And  it  is  not  over  his  great 
works,  —  such  as  the  ocean  that  rolls  and  foams 
and  dashes  and  grinds  the  rocks  and  beats 
against  the  cliffs,  —  it  is  not  over  the  great 
volcano  that  comes  surging  and  rolling  up  from 
the  inside  of  the  earth  till  it  has  made  a  moun- 
tain of  cinders  and  a  great  river  of  liquid  fire,  — 
it  is  not  over  the  high  mountain,  whose  top 
reaches  far  up  where  nothing  but  eternal  snow 
and  ice  are,  —  it  is  not  over  the  great  sun  that 
hangs  in  the  heavens,  and  shines  on  in  his 
strength  from  age   to  ago,  —  that  God  rejoices 


Lect.  X.l  GOD  REJOICING.  219 


The  river  of  Egypt. 


merely ;  but  he  looks  at  every  little  flower  that 
opens,  at  every  little  leaf  that  shakes  m  the 
wind,  at  every  feather  that  covers  the  little  bird 
of  the  air,  and  over  them  all  he  rejoices,  for 
they  are  his  work,  and  worthy  of  the  Divine 
hand. 

Children,  you  have  all  heard  and  read  of 
Egypt.  It  is  a  wonderful  country.  There  is  no 
rain  there,  and  yet  the  land  is  watered  and  very 
fertile.  It  is  all  done  so  fully,  that  of  old  it 
has  been  a  land  of  plenty,  and  the  great  grain- 
house  from  which  the  old  Homan  empire  used 
to  draw  its  bread.  And  the  whole  land  is 
watered  and  made  fruitful  by  one  single  river ! 
Take  that  away,  and  it  would  at  once  be  only  a 
dreary  sand-heap.  Every  spring,  that  river  rises 
up  and  overflows  its  banks,  and  then  the  people 
have  their  little  canals  dug  and  ready,  and  their 
little  dams  built  to  catch  and  save  the  water, 
and  then  they  go  out  and  sow  their  rice  on  the 


220  GOD   REJOICING.  [Lect.  X 

Bruce,  the  traveller.  Head  of  the  Nile. 

waters.  The  rice  sinks  down,  and  the  waters 
after  a  while  dry  np,  and  the  rice  grows,  and 
they  have  a  great  harvest.  Thus  they  "  cast 
their  bread  upon  the  waters,  and  find  it  again 
after  many  days."  For  a  great  while  it  was  a 
matter  of  wonder  what  made  the  river  rise  so 
and  overflow  its  banks.  At  last  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Bruce  followed  the  river  up  till  he  got 
far  up  among  the  high  mountains,  nearly  a  thou- 
sand miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where 
he  found  that  these  great  mountains  were  cov- 
ered with  snow.  It  is  the  melting  of  this  snow 
in  the  spring,  that  makes  the  river  rise  so  high. 
Up,  far  up  among  the  hills  and  the  lofty  places 
he  went,  till  he  came  to  a  little  pond  or  spring. 
It  was  the  very  fountain  and  head-water  of  the 
Nile !  How  he  sat  down  and  rejoiced  over  his 
toil,  and  how  he  looked  at  that  little  fountain ! 
It  was  the  beginning  of  great  things.  Now  are 
we  not  to  believe  that,  for  thousands   of  years 


Lect.  X.]  GOD   REJOICING.  221 

Perfected  works.  Rainbow.  Early  morning. 

before  the  foot  of  man  ever  trod  those  regions, 
and  before  Bruce  ever  saw  it,  the  eye  of  God 
was  watching  that  little  fountain,  as  it  poured 
out  its  waters  and  sent  them  down  to  make  the 
Nile  and  to  fertilize  the  whole  of  Egypt  1  Are 
we  not  to  believe  that  the  Lord  rejoiced  over 
this  wonderful  work  of  his,  when  for  the  first 
time  the  gushing  stream  found  its  new  channel, 
and  marked  out  the  line  of  its  march  from  the 
heights  of  the  mountain  to  the  great  sea  ^ 

Some  of  the  works  of  the  Lord  are  perfect, 
and  will  never  be  improved  in  the  future.  The 
rainbow  that  hangs  on  the  skirts  of  the  storm, 
and  seems  the  child  of  the  thunder  and  the  rain, 
will  never  be  more  beautiful  than  it  now  is. 
The  dawn  of  the  morning,  when  the  stars  first  be- 
gin to  turn  pale  and  twinkle  farther  ofi",  and  the 
rays  of  red  and  yellow  shoot  up  from  the  east, 
as  heralds,  to  tell  us  that  the  monarch  of  the 
day  has  mounted  his  car  and  will  soon  be  here, 


222  GOD   REJOICING.  [Lect.  X 

Ocean.  Forest-trees.  The  cradle. 

—  calling  the  hill-tops  to  catch  their  first  smiles, 
and  waking  up  the  birds  of  the  air  to  song  and 
joy,  —  that  dawn  will  never  be  more  perfect 
than  it  now  is !  The  roar  of  the  old  ocean 
will  never,  in  beauty  or  terror,  be  otherwise 
than  it  now  is.  The  deep  forest,  that  stands, 
like  a  tall  army,  still  and  silent  and  solemn,  as  if 
listening:  to  receive  some  command  that  will 
make  all  the  trees  bend  like  reeds,  will  never 
be  changed.  The  Lord  rejoices  over  all  these 
works,  as  being  perfect  and  complete. 

But  when  he  comes  and  stands  at  the  head  of 
the  little  cradle,  he  is  looking  at  something  that 
will  grow  for  ever.  The  babe  is  perfect  now ! 
Its  little  limbs,  its  bright  eye,  its  dimpled  smile, 
its  silky  hair,  its  smooth  brow,  —  they  are  all 
beautiful  now !  But  when  those  feet  can  walk, 
and  when  those  hands  can  reach  out  and  do 
good,  when  that  eye  can  melt  in  pity  for  distress, 
and    when    that   tongue    can    sing    the    praises 


Lect.  X.]  GOD   REJOICING.  223 

Child.  The  man.  Old  man.  The  glorified  man. 

of  God,  and  call  upon  liim  in  prayer,  the  child 
has  gone  up  to  a  higher  state.  A  few  years 
later,  when  that  child  has  become  a  man,  and  is 
now  seen  supporting  the  feeble  steps  of  his 
worn-out  mother,  bearing  the  burdens  of  his 
feeble  father,  the  pillar  of  confidence  to  his 
sisters,  and  a  blessing  to  all,  he  has  gone  up 
to  a  higher  character  still.  And  when,  after 
years  of  faithful  duty  and  labor  and  toil,  that 
child  has  become  the  hoary-headed  old  man, 
worn  out  in  the  service  of  God,  ready  to  leave 
the  world  and  go  up  to  meet  his  Saviour,  he  is 
nobler  still !  But  when  he  shall  reach  heaven, 
his  work  done  here,  —  when  he  shall  leave  all 
sin  and  sorrow  behind,  and  go  up  in  the  white 
robe  of  Christ's  righteousness,  —  when  he  shall 
come  to  the  Redeemer  full  of  awe  and  won- 
der, and  love  and  admiration,  with  his  crown  of 
life  and  his  song  of  praise,  will  it  not  then  be, 
that  the  Lord  will  rejoice  over  his  work]    Other 


224  GOD   REJOICING.  [Lect.  X. 

The  mechanic  and  his  works.  Christ's  work. 

things  may  show  that  God  has  given  them 
graceful  forms,  or  brilliant  colors,  or  keen  in- 
stincts, or  great  proportions  ;  but  the  beauty  of 
the  good  man  is  the  "  beauty  of  the  Lord,"  — 
the  beauty  of  holiness  ! 

Suppose  you  know  a  man  who  can  pick  up  a 
piece  of  charcoal,  and  from  it  make  the  most 
beautiful  diamond  that  ever  flashed ;  or  that  can 
take  the  common  shell  of  an  oyster,  and  from  it 
make  the  most  perfect  pearl  that  ever  graced  the 
neck  of  queens  ;  —  would  he  not  be  a  wonderful 
mechanic  ?  And  sup23ose  he  could  dig  down 
into  the  dark  mines  of  ore  and  take  out  a  lump, 
dark  and  cold  and  ill-shaped,  and  from  it  create 
a  spirit  that  will  live  for  ever !  Would  not  that 
man  rejoice  over  his  work] 

But  the  Son  of  God  hath  done  more  than  to 
do  all  that.  He  has  come  here  and  taken  vile 
men,  such  as  heathen,  such  as  thieves  and 
murderers,    and   made    them    become    like    the 


Lect.  X.]  GOD   REJOICING.  225 

The  Morning  Star.  Her  mission. 

angels  of  heaven !  And  he  is  doing  it  every 
day,  and  will  do  it  more  and  more,  till  the  world 
shall  come  to  an  end. 

When  a  missionary  ship  was  wanted,  all  the 
children  of  our  country  sent  in  their  contribu- 
tions, and  the  trees  were  cut  down  and  hewed, 
and  the  planks  were  sawed,  and  the  masts  were 
rigged,  and  the  sails  were  added,  till  the  beauti- 
ful ship  —  the  "  Morning  Star  "  —  was  finished. 
She  had  no  great  cannon  on  board  with  which 
to  destroy,  she  had  no  swords  nor  guns  ;  but 
she  was  made  for  one  single,  noble  purpose,  — 
to  aid  in  makinof  Christ  known  among:  the 
heathen !  And  when  she  was  done,  what  a 
multitude  of  children  came  together  to  see  her 
launched  into  the  water !  —  and  beautiful  pic- 
tures of  her  are  made  and  sent  everywhere. 
She  went  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  there 
a  multitude  of  children  gathered  together  to 
see  her !     How   the   children  all   rejoiced  over 


226  GOD   REJOICING.  [Lect.  X. 

Her  mission.  Morning  stars  in  heaven. 

their  work  !  —  because  she  will  last  a  long  time, 
and  go  to  many  a  dark  island,  and  cheer  many 
a  weary  missionary  ;  and  many  lonely  workers 
will  shed  tears  of  joy  while  they  see  the  little 
ship  coming  in  with  the  white  flag  at  mast- 
head, with  the  name  Morning  Star  upon  it  ! 
They  talk  about  her  here  in  this  country,  they 
talk  about  her  in  Europe,  and  they  talk  about 
her  in  the  far-off  islands.  She  is  the  work  of 
children,  and  they  rejoice  over  their  work.  And 
I  doubt  not  she  will  be  talked  about  in  heaven, 
and  long  after  she  is  worn  out,  and  perhaps 
sunk  in  the  ocean,  her  name  will  live  and  be 
remembered  !  But  oh  !  the  work  of  Christ  ! 
How  many  morning  stars  will  he  make  to  rise 
into  view  in  heaven !  "  To  him  that  overcometh 
will  I  give  the  morning  star !  "  that  is,  I  will 
make  him  bright  as  the  morning  star.  These 
stars  will  never  set.  These  will  never  go  out. 
They  will  come  from  the  east  and  the  west,  the 


Lect.  X.]  GOD  REJOICING.  227 

Works  over  which  Christ  will  rejoice.  The  mother's  joy. 

north  and  the  south,  and  shine  for  ever  and  ever. 
Am  I  not  now  looking  upon  some  whom  Christ 
will  make  into  morning  stars  ]  Will  not  this 
little  boy,  and  that  little  girl,  be  there,  redeemed 
and  glorified,  to  shine  as  the  stars  for  ever  and 
ever  ] 

Ah  !  when  all  this  work  of  redemption  shall 
be  completed,  —  when  they  shall  be  gathered 
together,  a  multitude  which  no  man  can  num- 
ber, each  with  a  crown  of  life  on  his  head, 
each  with  the  robe  of  white  as  his  clothing, 
each  with  a  golden  harp  in  his  hand,  each  one 
to  live  and  be  blessed  for  ever,  —  what  a  multi- 
tude will  they  be  !  And  as  each  one  comes  to 
the  feet  of  Christ,  to  cast  his  crown  there, 
will  He  not  rejoice  over  his  works  ]  Does  the 
mother  who  has  prayed  for  the  conversion  of 
her  child,  from  the  very  first  moment  her  heart 
thrilled  at  the  sound  of  its  voice,  rejoice  when 
that  child  is  converted  and  brought  into  the  fold 


228  GOD   REJOICING.  [Lect.  X. 

The  pastor's  joy.         The  missionary's  joy.  God's  joy  for  ever. 

of  Jesus  ]  Does  the  minister  of  Christ,  who 
has  gone  forth  bearing  the  precious  seed  with 
weeping,  rejoice  when  the  Holy  Spirit  comes 
down,  and  his  flock  are  brought  to  Christ]  Does 
the  missionary  of  the  cross,  who  leaves  his 
country  to  toil  and  die  in  foreign  lands,  rejoice 
when  he  sees  new-born  souls,  from  among  the 
poor,  darkened  pagans,  coming  and  sitting  at 
the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  singing  to  the  name 
of  Jesus  ]  What,  then,  will  be  the  joy  which 
fills  the  heart  of  God  himself  for  ever  ]  These 
are  his  work  !  O,  he  will  burn  up  gold  and 
silver  and  jewels  and  precious  stones,  —  he  will 
burn  up  the  earth ;  but  he  will  save  souls,  and 
rejoice  in  his  works  for  ever  and  ever ! 


^/M^-^^A-^^-^^ 


LECTURE    XI. 

THE    OLDEST    RIDDLE. 

Out  of  the  eater  came  forth  meat,  and  out  of  the  strong  came 
forth  sweetness.  —  Judges  xiv.  14. 

Contents.  —  What  a  riddle  is.  Ancient  riddles.  Parables.  .Esop's  fables. 
Children's  poems.  Men  of  the  Bible.  Samson,  — the  man  who  was  a 
whole  army.  His  wedding.  The  young  lion.  The  lion  a  beehive.  A 
wonder.  Doctrine.  The  babe.  Parents'  joy.  The  child's  will.  The 
lame  one.  The  little  cripple.  God's  lesson.  The  child's  will  again.  The 
temper  altered.  Text  illustrated.  Deaf  and  dumb  child.  Her  mission. 
Sorrows  on  the  sea.  Causes  of  distress.  The  mountain  stage.  Young 
officer.  Maps  of  the  ocean.  The  great  results.  Cowper.  Beautiful 
eulogy  on  the  pulpit.  Hymns.  John  Milton.  His  lament  over  his  blind- 
ness^  Text  illustrated.  The  greatest  calamity  ever  known.  Effects  of 
sin.  Results  of  it.  What  it  teaches.  The  heaven  of  the  redeemed. 
What  Christ  will  do. 

Children,  this  is  the  oldest  riddle  in  the 
world.  A  riddle  is  some  truth  or  thought  put 
into  language  which  would  seem  to  mean  some- 
thing else,  and  whose  real  meaning  is  to  be 
guessed.     In  ancient  times   they  had  very  few 


282  THE   OLDEST  RIDDLE.  [Lect.  XL 

Ancient  riddles.  Parables.  ^sop's  fables. 

books,  because  men  did  not  know  how  to  print ; 
and,  indeed,  they  had  no  books  except  such  as 
were  written  with  the  pen.  And  so  they  used  to 
teach  one  another  in  riddles,  songs,  parables,  and 
proverbs.  Moses  wrote  his  farewell  address, 
just  before  he  died,  in  the  form  of  a  song, 
so  that  his  people  might  commit  it  to  memory, 
and  perhaps  sing  it.  Deborah,  a  prophetess, 
wrote  a  song  describing  a  victory  which  her 
people  had  gained,  and  which  song  was  to 
be  committed  to  memory.  Solomon  gathered  up 
all  the  wisdom  of  his  age  into  proverbs,  because 
these  could  be  easily  remembered  and  handed 
down  in  families.  Parables  are  a  kind  of  riddle, 
and  were  used  to  engage  the  attention  and  excite 
curiosity.  The  parables  of  Christ  are  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  Avorld.  Fables  are  another  kind 
of  riddle.  There  was  once  a  Grecian  slave, 
named  ^^sop,  who  made  many  choice  fables; 
but   the   many   fables  which  have   come   down 


Lect.  XL]  THE   OLDEST  RIDDLE.  233 

Children's  poems.  Men  of  the  Bible. 

to  US  as  his,  are  probably  a  collection  of  all  the 
old  fables  that  had  been  gathered,  down  to  his 
time.  To  guess  the  meaning  of  riddles  has 
always  been  the  delight  of  children,  and  of 
people  who  have  but  few  books.  Such  people, 
too,  delight  in  songs  and  short  stories.  Some  of 
the  most  bewitching  reading  for  children  is  little 
stories  put  into  poetry ;  and  who  does  not  know 
how  eagerly  they  read  the  fables  in  which  birds 
talk,  apes  reason,  and  squirrels  gather  together 
into  a  congress  ^ 

In  the  Bible  we  are  taught  that  God  can 
do  great  things,  not  only  by  weak  instruments, 
but  by  very  imperfect  men.  All  the  great  and 
good  men  have  had  some  defects,  to  show  us,  that 
God  can  use  such  poor  creatures  to  promote 
his  own  glory.  The  Bible  is  very  careful  not 
to  cover  up  their  sins.  Some  of  them  were 
more  perfect  than  others.  Samson,  who  made 
the  riddle  which  I  have  chosen  for  my  text,  was 

15 


234  THE  OLDEST  RIDDLE.  [Lect.  XL 


Samson.  One  man  a  whole  army.  His  wedding. 

a  judge,  or  deliverer,  in  Israel.  For  twenty 
years  he  was  the  chief  magistrate.  The  nation 
who  were  then  troubling  the  people  of  God 
were  the  Philistines,  —  a  strong,  warlike  people, 
who  always  hated  Israel.  They  would  come, 
sometimes  in  little  bands,  and  steal  the  cattle, 
and  sometimes  with  an  army,  and  burn  up 
towns.  Samson  was  himself  the  army  to  op- 
pose them ;  and  God  showed  that  he  could,  if 
he  pleased,  put  a  whole  army  into  one  man.  In 
one  battle  he  killed  more  than  two  armies  often 
do  in  a  battle  And  what  was  equally  strange, 
he  did  it  all  without  arms,  —  by  picking  up 
a  stick,  or  such  a  small  thing  as  the  jaw-bone  of 
an  ass  ! 

Samson  was  raised  up  to  destroy  the  Philis- 
tines, and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  he  married  one 
of  that  people  in  order  to  do  it.  At  his  wed- 
ding, according  to  custom,  he  put  forth  a  riddle 
to  the  company.     It  seems  that,  on  his  way  to 


Lect.  XL]  THE   OLDEST  RIDDLE.  235 

The  young  Hon.  The  lion  a  beehive! 

see  the  lady  of  his  choice,  with  his  parents, 
he  turned  aside  into  a  vineyard,  —  most  likely  to 
gather  some  grapes.  Here  a  young,  fierce  lion 
sprang  upon  him ;  but  in  a  moment,  unarmed  as 
he  was,  he  crushed  the  cruel  beast.  He  was  not 
hurt,  nor  were  his  garments  torn  so  as  to  have 
his  parents  notice  it,  and  he  told  nobody  of  it. 
Perhaps  he  felt  that  nobody  would  believe  the 
story.     There  he  left  the  lion  dead. 

When  he  went  down  to  be  married,  he  went 
to  the  vineyard  again  to  see  his  lion,  and  the 
birds  or  the  beasts  had  eaten  the  flesh,  and  the 
hot  sun  had  dried  the  carcass,  and  the  bees  had 
come  and  made  a  hive  of  it,  and  filled  it  with 
honey.  Of  this  honey  Samson  gathered  and 
gave  to  his  parents.  So  that  "  out  of  the  eater," 
which  was  the  lion,  "  came  forth  meat,"  or  food, 
"  and  out  of  the  strong  "  creature  "  came  forth 
sweetness,"  i.  e.  honey. 

This  was  the  riddle.     The  people  could  not 


236  THE   OLDEST  RIDDLE.  [Lect.  XL 


A  wonder.  Doctrine.  The  babe. 


guess  it;  for  who  would  have  thought  the 
sweetest  food  in  the  world,  and  the  highest 
luxury  in  the  world,  could  have  come  out  of  the 
carcass  of  a  dead  lion  1  A  starving  man  might 
eat  a  piece  of  a  lion,  but  who  else  ever  ate  it  1 
And  who  ever  went  to  the  carcass  of  such 
a  beast  for  food,  and,  above  all,  for  sweet- 
ness itself?  Few  things  could  be  more  loath- 
some, few  places  so  unlikely  to  give  out  anything 
pleasant. 

Our  text  teaches  us  this  general  truth,  —  that 
God  can  turn  into  a  hlessing^  what  seems  un- 
pleasant and  hurtful. 

It  is  this  truth  I  am  now  wishing  to  illus- 
trate. 

In  the  bosom  of  a  quiet,  Christian  family, 
God  has  created  a  little  boy.  He  intends  to 
make  an  angel  of  that  child  in  the  end.  The 
parents  receive  him  with  unutterable  joy.  He 
comes  as  a  bright  sunbeam  into  their  dwelling, 


Lect.  XI.]  THE   OLDEST  EIDDLE.  237 

Parents'  joy.  The  child's  "will. 

and  brings  joy  and  gladness.  They  give  him 
the  most  unwearied  care,  and  think  over,  and 
dream  over,  what  he  will  hereafter  be.  The 
door  is  opened  and  shut  softly  lest  it  awake  him. 
The  air  is  not  allowed  to  fan  his  face,  and 
the  light  is  screened  from  his  newly-opened  eyes. 
They  plan  how  he  will  live  long,  how  they  will 
train  him,  how  he  will  become  a  great  and  a 
good  man.  They  trust  his  guardian  angel  will 
never  forget  him  for  a  moment.  As  he  advances, 
it  is  found  that  the  child  is  uncommonly  bright, 
and  his  large,  laughing,  black  eye  seems  to  talk 
before  he  can  speak  with  the  tongue.  He  seems 
a  wonder  to  his  parents,  though  his  mother 
secretly  and  reluctantly  comes  to  the  conclusion 
that  he  has  a  very  stubborn  will.  Before  he 
is  two  years  old,  she  has  tried  hard  to  conquer 
that  will^  and  has  tried  to  convince  herself  that 
she  has^  though  secretly  she  knows  she  never 
has ;  and  God  sees  that  this  will  is  likely  to  be 


238  THE   OLDEST  RIDDLE.  [Lkct    XL 


The  lame  one.  The  little  cripple. 

his  ruin  for  time  and  for  eternity.  When  two 
or  three  years  old,  the  mother  hears  the  child  cry 
out  as  if  in  pain.  She  hastens  into  the  other 
room  where  he  is  playing,  and  finds  him  lying 
on  the  floor.  She  raises  him  up,  but  his  legs 
have  lost  their  power.  He  cannot  walk  ;  he 
cannot  stand.  She  searches  to  see  if  he  has 
hurt  him,  —  if  any  bone  is  broken.  But  no  ; 
there  is  nothing  to  be  found.  It  seems  as  if  the 
angel  who  held  him  up,  had  suddenly  let  him 
fall.  How  the  mother  now  clasps  him  in  her 
arms  with  new  tenderness !  He  was  never  so 
dear  to  her  before '  Her  little  lame  boy !  Will 
he  never  walk  again  ]  How  the  child  wonders 
over  the  tears  that  run  down  his  mother's 
cheeks  !  How  the  father  hurries,  with  a  world 
of  troubled  thoughts  in  his  head,  to  the  physi- 
cian, and  asks  him  to  aid  them  !  How  tenderly 
they  wrap  up  the  little  fellow  in  blanket  and 
shawl,  and  carry  him  from  one  skilful  physician 


Lect.  XI.]  THE   OLDEST  KIDDLE.  239 

God's  lesson.  The  child's  will  again. 

to  another!  All  in  vain  !  Their  little  boy  will 
never  be  otherwise  than  a  cripple.  And  then 
the  little  chair  is  bought,  and  the  little  red 
crutches  are  bought,  and  around  the  little  one 
the  family  all  gather  with  a  tenderness  never  felt 
before.  And  now  this  messenger  of  God  begins 
to  tell  his  errand !  I  mean,  that,  while  the  eye 
of  the  little  boy  is  opened  as  wide  as  ever,  and 
shines  as  brightly  as  ever,  it  is  found  that  his  help- 
lessness has  made  him  mild.  He  has  a  tender- 
ness towards  his  mother  such  as  he  never  had 
before.  He  says  his  evening  prayer  as  if  he  felt 
his  need  of  God's  care.  It  is  seen  that  his  anger 
is  less  frequent,  and  when  the  waters  of  the  lake 
arc  ruffled,  they  soon  become  calm  and  placid. 
That  will  becomes  subdued ;  and  while  the  poor 
cripple  cannot  move  except  by  help,  and  while 
his  mother  often  sheds  tears  to  see  him  leaning 
on  his  little  crutches  and  quietly  watching  the 
other  children  at  their  play,  yet  she  knows  he  i5 


240  THE   OLDEST   RIDDLE.  [Lect.  XI. 

The  temper  altered.  The  text  illustriited. 

becoming  more  gentle,  winning,  and  loving  in  his 
manners  and  feelings  and  character.  His  body 
will  ahvays  be  feeble,  but  the  soul  grows  large 
and  noble  and  beautiful.  By  his  feebleness  and 
helplessness  he  escapes  many  dangers.  He  is 
the  centre  of  all  the  family,  and  every  child  in 
it  learns  to  be  kind  and  gentle,  both  because  he 
is  gentle  and  kind,  and  also  because  they  want 
to  be  gentle  and  kind  to  him ;  and  thus,  he  helps 
to  form  the  character  of  all  in  the  house,  and  of 
all  who  ever  know  him.  Thus  he  becomes  the 
beautiful  character  that  all  love,  and  kindly  is 
he  handed  along  the  journey  of  life,  till  God's 
plans  are  fulfilled.  Then,  when  it  is  all  over, 
and  he  is  removed  to  that  w^orld  where  there 
will  be  no  lame  or  feeble  one,  where  "  the  weak 
shall  be  as  David,  and  David  as  an  angel  of  God," 
—  then  it  is  seen  that  this  lameness  was  turned 
into  a  great  blessing ;  so  that  out  of  the  eater 
came  forth  meat,  and  out  of  the  strong  came 
forth   sweetness. 


Lkct.  XL]  THE   OLDEST   RIDDLE.  241 

The  deaf  and  dumb  child.  Her  mission. 

I  have  told  you  lately,  children,  of  a  little 
girl,  so  bright,  so  beautiful,  and  so  loving,  that 
her  f\ither  daily  pressed  her  to  his  heart  with 
the  greatest  tenderness.  And  she  could  not 
speak  a  word  or  hear  a  word.  She  was  deaf 
and  dumb.  The  soul  wa«  not  encased  in  marble, 
but  it  was  not  much  easier  to  reach  it  than  if 
it  had  been.  She  died  a  mere  child.  And  it 
all  seemed  a  deep  mystery.  How  many  hours 
the  mother  sat  over  her  speechless  one,  won- 
dering at  the  strange,  mysterious  providence ! 
How  often  the  tear  dropped  from  the  father's 
eye,  as  he  gazed  upon  his  child,  who  had  no 
words  to  Avelcome  his  presence  !  It  seemed 
a  sad  and  most  unpleasant  event.  But  when 
the  child  had  completed  her  mission  as  she 
has,  it  is  now  seen  what  that  mission  was. 
Out  of  the  life  of  that  little  girl  grew  up  all 
the  Asylums  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  which 
bless   our    land.     Out   of  the  eater   came   forth 


242  THE   OLDEST   RIDDLE.  [Lect.  XL 

Sorrows  on  the  sea.  Causes  of  distress. 

meat,  and  out  of  the  strong  came  forth  sweet- 
ness. 

Some  who  go  down  into  ships,  and  do  busi- 
ness on  the  great  waters,  know  that  the  Prophet 
speaks  the  truth  when  he  says,  "  there  is  sorrow 
on  the  sea."  The  sea  roars  and  the  fulness 
thereof.  When  the  compass  was  discovered, 
so  that  ships  could  go  out  of  sight  of  land, 
there  was  a  great  thing  gained.  When  men 
built  large  and  strong  ships,  it  was  still  a  great 
gain.  But  still  there  are  so  many  currents  in 
the  great  ocean,  so  many  winds  blowing,  that 
voyages  were  long,  tedious,  and  dangerous. 
The  ship  full  of  emigrants  was  tossed  and 
driven  about  by  currents  of  water  and  of  wind ; 
and  the  sick,  on  shipboard,  going  to  milder 
climates,  were  made  sicker  by  the  long  voyage, 
and  a  great  amount  of  time  and  money  was 
spent  in  sailing  a  ship  from  one  part  of  the 
world   to   another.     The  whole   world   felt   the 


Lect.  XI.]  THE   OLDEST   RIDDLE.  243 

The  mountain  stage.  Young  officer. 

evils,  in  the  loss    of  property  and    health  and 
lives.     What  should  be  done  1 

Some  years  ago  the  stage  was  going  over  our 
high  Alleghany  Mountain'=5.  The  roads  were 
bad  and  dangerous.  When  near  the  top  of  the 
mountain,  the  stage  was  suddenly  overturned, 
and  the  passengers  hurt,  more  or  less.  How- 
ever, they  all  passed  on  except  one.  He  was 
a  young  naval  officer,  about  whom  there  was 
nothing  very  striking  or  remarkable.  With  a 
broken  thigh  he  was  carried  into  a  log-cabin, 
and  there  left  to  such  care  and  skill  as  that 
wild  region  afforded.  It  seemed  to  him  the 
saddest  day  of  his  life  ;  and  as  he  lay  under 
the  low  roof  of  the  hut,  with  not  a  friend  near, 
his  limb  broken,  and  in  agony,  it  seemed  to  him 
that  all  his  prospects  for  life  were  dashed.  He 
would  be  a  cripple,  and  never  able  to  walk  the 
deck  of  his  ship  again  !  For  six  months  he  lay 
there  alone.     But  now  came   the  meat  out   of 


244  THE    OLDEST   RIDDLE.  [Lect.  XL 

Maps  of  the  ocean.  The  great  results. 

the  eater,  and  the  sweetness  out  of  the  strong 
one.  lie  there  discovered  that  he  had  powers 
which  he  never  dreamed  of  before.  He  there 
began  those  studies,  and  there  formed  those 
habits  of  thought,  that  have  since  enabled  him 
to  make  maps  of  the  ocean,  in  which  the  great 
currents  of  water  and  of  wind  are  laid  down,  so 
that  dangers  are  shunned,  stormy  places  avoided, 
and  paths  marked  out ;  so  that  every  voyage  is 
shortened,  so  that  every  ship  that  sails  is  safer, 
so  that  less  property  is  lost,  so  that  fewer  ships 
are  wrecked,  so  that  fewer  lives  are  lost.  If 
this  man  could  have  given  the  world  millions 
of  money  every  year,  if  he  could  have  gathered 
up  from  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  the  little 
children  that  sleep  there,  or  the  fathers  and 
brothers  and  husbands  who  are  buried  there, 
and  carried  them  to  their  friends,  and  thus 
sent  joy  through  hundreds  of  homes  every  year, 
he   could  not  have  been   a  greater  blessing  to 


Lect.  XL]  THE   OLDEST  RIDDLE.  245 

Cowper.  Eulogy  on  the  pulpit. 

the  world  than  he  now  is.  His  name  will 
stand  among  the  most  useful  men  the  world 
has  ever  seen.  Then  I  would  add,  that  he  is 
a  Christian,  and,  while  kings  and  crowned  heads 
do  him  homage,  he  feels  that  his  highest  honor 
is  to  lay  all  that  he  has,  and  is,  at  the  feet  of 
his  Redeemer.  We  trace  all  this  good  back  to 
the  upsetting  of  the  stage  on  the  mountains, 
and  his  broken  limb  and  solitary  confinement 
in  the  log-house. 

William  Cowper !  Probably  thousands  of 
souls  have  been  saved  by  his  beautiful  tribute 
to  the  Pulpit. 

"  The  Pulpit  therefore  (and  I  name  it  filled 
AVith  solemn  awe,  that  bids  me  well  beware 
With  what  intent  I  touch  that  holy  thing),  — 
The  Pulpit  (when  the  satirist  has  at  last, 
Strutting  and  vaporing  in  an  empty  school, 
Spent  all  his  force,  and  made  no  proselyte),  — 
I  say  the  Pulpit  (in  the  sober  use 
Of  its  legitimate,  peculiar  powers) 
Must  stand  acknowledged,  while  the  world  shall  stand, 


246  THE   OLDEST   KIDDLE.  [Lect.  XL 

Eulogy  on  the  pulpit.  Hymns. 

The  most  important  and  effectual  guard, 

Support,  and  ornament  of  Virtue's  cause. 

There  stands  the  messenger  of  truth  ;  there  stands 

The  legate  of  the  skies  !     His  theme  divine, 

His  office  sacred,  his  credentials  clear. 

By  him  the  violated  law  speaks  out 

Its  thunders ;  and  by  him,  in  strains  as  sweet 

As  angels  use,  the  Gospel  whispers  peace. 

He  'stablishes  the  strong,  restores  the  weak, 

Reclaims  the  wanderer,  binds  the  broken  heart. 

And,  armed  himself  in  panoply  complete 

Of  heavenly  temper,  furnishes  with  arms 

Bright  as  his  own,  and  trains  by  every  rule 

Of  holy  discipline,  to  glorious  war, 

The  sacramental  host  of  God's  elect !  " 

This  is  the  same  broken-hearted  man  whom 
thousands  have  folloAved  as  they  sang,  — 

"  O  for  a  closer  walk  with  God, 
A  calm  and  peaceful  frame, 
And  light  to  shine  upon  the  road 
That  leads  me  to  the  Lamb  !  " 

And  yet  the  sweet  hymns  of  Cowper  were 
all  wrung  out  of  him  by  anguish  of  spirit. 
They  are  the  perfume  of  the  crushed  flower,  — 


Lect.  XI.]  THE   OLDEST  RIDDLE.  247 


John  Milton.  His  lament  over  his  blindness. 

sweeter  for  being  crushed.  They  are  the  sighs 
and  the  palpitations  of  a  broken  heart ;  and 
while  the  poor  poet  was  himself  tossed  on  the 
stormy  waves,  he  was  building  life-boats  for 
others. 

And  John  Milton !  With  what  touching 
words  does  he  speak  of  his  blindness !  It 
almost  makes  you  weep  to  hear  him  lament  his 
loss. 

"  Seasons  return,  but  not  to  me  returns 
Day,  or  the  sweet  approach  of  even  or  mom, 
Or  sight  of  vernal  bloom,  or  summer's  rose, 
Or  flocks,  or  herds,  or  human  face  divine  ; 
But  cloud  instead,  and  ever  during  dark 
Surrounds  me,  from  the  cheerful  ways  of  men 
Cut  off,  and  for  the  book  of  knowledge  fair 
Presented  with  a  universal  blank 
Of  nature's  works  to  me  expunged  and  rased. 
And  wisdom  at  one  entrance  quite  shut  out.'* 

But  when  God  closed  up  his  eyes  in  blindness, 
he  opened  wide  the  eyes  of  the  soul,  and  from 
the   chambers   of  that   soul   came    the   greatest 


248  THE   OLDEST   RIDDLE.  [Lect.  XL 

Text  illustrated.  Greatest  calamity  known. 

poem  in  human  language  !  How  little  did  it 
seem  as  if  to  put  out  the  eyes  of  a  man  was 
the  way  to  make  him  see,  —  to  cut  a  man  off 
from  the  world,  and  shut  up  his  soul  in  a  dark 
dungeon,  was  the  way  to  make  him  sing  like 
the  angels  of  heaven !  Out  of  the  eater  came 
forth  meat,  and  out  of  the  strong  came  forth 
sweetness !  God  can  turn  the  very  trials  of 
men  into  blessings. 

The  greatest  calamity  ever  made  known  to 
men  is  the  ruin  of  our  world  by  sin.  It  is  said 
that  not  a  spot  on  earth  can  be  found,  big 
enough  for  a  flower-bed,  which  has  not  already 
been  dug  up  to  make  graves  of  You  remember 
how,  when  the  angel  smote  the  first-born  in 
Egypt  at  midnight,  the  cry  went  up  loud  to 
heaven,  because  there  was  not  a  house  in  which 
was  not  one  or  more  dead !  What  was  true  of 
Egypt,  is  true  of  every  house  on  earth.  The 
angel  does  not  smite  all  in  one  night,  but  sooner 


Lect.  XL]  THE   OLDEST   RIDDLE.  249 

Effects  of  sin.  Results  of  it. 

or  later  every  house  is  smitten,  and  every  child 
that  is  born  must  die.  How  awful  do  our 
dearest  friends  look  when  they  are  dying  !  Sin 
dug  all  these  graves.  Sin  slew  all  these.  And 
oh  !  what  wars,  and  murders,  and  cruelties, 
what  prisons  and  dungeons,  and  Avhat  tears  and 
sorrows,  fill  the  earth  !  It  is  all  dreadful.  But 
out  of  this  eater  comes  forth  meat.  If  sin  had 
not  been  permitted  to  come  and  destroy  our 
world,  we  could  never  have  known  how  much 
God  loved  it,  —  to  send  his  only  begotten  Son 
to  die  to  redeem  it.  We  could  never  have 
known  how  much  Christ  pitied  us,  to  be  will- 
ing to  hang  in  the  agonies  of  the  cross  to 
redeem  us  !  We  could  never  have  known  how 
much  the  Spirit  of  God  loves  us,  to  intercede 
for  us,  to  come  and  plead  with  us,  to  make  us 
like  Christ  in  holiness  for  ever !  We  should 
never  have  known  what  the  word  mercy  means. 
We    should   never   have  known   that  the  holy 

16 


250  THE   OLDEST   KIDDLE.  [Lect.  XL 

What  it  teaches.  The  heaven  of  the  redeemed. 

angels  loved  us  so  that  they  would  be  willing 
to  be  ministering  spirits  to  men,  and  even  carry 
the  soul  of  a  poor  beggar  to  heaven.  We 
should  never  have  known  that  there  could  be 
a  Gospel  so  precious  to  the  lost  sinner,  nor 
what  the  tears  of  the  contrite  sinner  meant. 
But  now  we  sing,  O  the  height  and  the  depth, 
the  length  and  the  breadth,  of  the  love  of  God 
in  Christ  Jesus !  Now  a  multitude  which  no 
man  can  number  will  reach  heaven.  They  will 
all  have  on  white  robes.  They  will  all  have  a 
crown  of  life  on  the  head.  They  will  each  have 
a  golden  harp.  They  will  sing  a  new  song,  — 
one  never  heard  in  heaven  before,  —  the  song  of 
Moses  and  of  the  Lamb.  God  is  seen  by  the 
redeemed  to  be  such  a  father  as  no  other  world 
can  see.  Ah  !  he  can  take  the  thief  and  carry 
him  up,  purified,  to  the  paradise  of  God.  He 
can  take  the  very  heathen,  and  make  them  his 
reward,    his  jewels,    and  his    glory.     And    oh ! 


Lect.  XI.l  THE   OLDEST  RIDDLE.  251 

What  Christ  will  do. 


Christ  can  take  the  very  babe,  and  out  of  his  lips 
perfect  the  praises  of  God.  Death  and  the 
grave  are  the  eater,  but  out  of  them  shall 
come  forth  what  is  more  precious  than  gold, 
and  what  is  brighter  than  diamonds.  Sin  is 
the  strong  one,  but  out  of  him  shall  come  forth 
what  is  sweeter  than  honey,  —  the  souls  of  the 
redeemed. 


LECTURE    XII. 

THE   GREAT   CHANGE. 
We  shall  all  be  changed. —  1  CoR.  xv.  51. 

Contents.  —  The  boy's  wish.  Spring.  Little  girl's  wish.  Men  desire 
changes.  Changes  to  all.  The  old  man.  His  sad  experience.  No  sun- 
shine. The  bird's- egg.  The  journey.  Departure.  The  return.  Two 
great  changes.  What  death  is.  Little  Emma  Clapp.  Conversation  with 
her.  Emma's  experience.  The  baptism.  Her  sick-room.  Her  anxieties. 
Fearless.  Perfected  praises.  Farewells.  Her  messages.  Shutting  of  the 
lily.  Great  change  in  Emma.  What  became  of  her?  Contrasts.  The 
coffin-dress.  The  last  change.  Christ's  coming.  The  trumpet's  voice. 
Graves  opened.  How  the  wicked  forgotten  in  death.  The  most  precious 
thing  on  earth.  The  blind  eyes  opened.  No  sickness.  Surgeon's  knife. 
The  pond-lily.  The  diamond.  Stephen's  burial.  The  eggs  of  the  silk- 
worm and  the  staves.     The  rag-picker.    Eternal  change. 

Was  there  ever  a  little  boy  who  did  not,  in 
the  warm,  beautiful  summer,  wish  that  the  fall 
would  come,  when  the  fruits  would  all  be  ripe, 
when  the  squirrel  would  jump  and  chatter  in 
the  tree,  as  he  laid  up  food  for  the  coming 
winter  1  When  the  fall  has  come,  does  not  this 
same  boy  wish  for  the  winter,  when  the  smooth 
ice  will  seem  to  chirp  under  his  skates,  when 


Lect.  XII.]  THE   GREAT   CHANGE.  253 

Spring.  Little  girl's  wish.  Men  desire  changes. 

the  white  snow  will  call  for  his  sled,  and  when 
the  cold  winds  will  freshen  up  his  cheeks, 
and  make  him  feel  strong,  and  make  him  shout 
with  the  shouters  ?  And  when  the  winter  is 
come,  how  he  longs  for  the  sjnlng^  when  the 
grass  will  grow  green,  and  the  flowers  burst 
their  buds  and  bloom  out,  —  when  the  birds  will 
return,  and  the  trees  will  rustle  with  new  leaves, 
and  the  whole  world  seem  to  rejoice?  So  the 
boy  loves  change. 

Was  there  ever  a  little  girl  who  did  not  long 
to  exchange  her  old  doll  for  a  new  one,  to  take 
the  promised  new  dress  in  her  hand,  to  make 
the  visit  away  off,  where  she  must  ride,  and  see 
new  things,  and  to  get  hold  of  the  new  book 
which  she  has  heard  so  much  about  I  So  the 
little  girl  loves  change.     And  so  do  all  men. 

The  farmer  hastens  from  one  crop  to  another, 
and,  as  soon  as  he  has  done  sowing,  begins 
to    look    forward   to   his    harvest.      The    sailor 


254  THE   GREAT   CHANGE.  [Lect.  XII. 


Changes  to  all.  The  old  man. 

on  the  ocean  longs  to  see  the  land  and  enter  the 
harbor ;  and  when  he  has  been  on  shore  a  few 
days,  he  wants  to  set  ont  on  a  new  voyage. 
The  boy  wants  to  be  a  yonth,  and  the  youth 
wants  to  be  a  man.  God  has  so  planned  things, 
that  we  must  have  changes  all  the  way  through 
life.  We  are  born,  and  our  parents  rejoice  over 
us.  We  have  sicknesses  and  health.  We  change 
our  homes,  live  in  diiFerent  houses,  form  friend- 
ships, have  our  friends  die  and  leave  us.  At 
death,  there  comes  a  great  change.  We  change 
worlds  and  go  to  another.  We  change  society, 
leaving  those  whom  we  know  here,  for  new 
society  in  eternity.  We  do  not  walk,  or  talk, 
or  hear,  or  see,  or  feel,  as  we  now  do,  for  we 
go  to  the  world  of  spirits.  We  become  spirits. 
What  a  multitude  of  changes  do  we  see  going 
on  around  us !  Very  great  changes  they  are, 
too  ! 

The  old  man  now  bending  on  his  staff,  and 


Lect.  XII.]  THE   GREAT   CHANGE.  255 

His  sad  experience.  No  sunshine. 

shuffling  in  his  walk  as  if  his  feet  could  not  be 
lifted  from  the  ground,  was  once  a  fresh,  bright- 
eyed  boy,  who  could  shout  and  run.  But 
he  went  to  school,  and  grew  up,  and  became  a 
man.  Then  he  had  a  young  and  beautiful  wife, 
then  a  family  of  children  ;  but  he  has  lived  to 
see  his  children  die  and  be  put  into  the  grave, 
and  he  has  buried  his  wife,  and  sold  his  home, 
and  his  friends  and  acquaintances  are  almost 
all  dead,  and  he  feels  alone.  He  has  witnessed 
the  moanings  of  sickness,  the  wailings  over  the 
dead,  heard  the  dull  clods  as  they  fell  on  the 
coffin,  and  heard  his  steps  echo,  as  he  returned 
to  his  home  after  the  funeral.  And  he  has 
heard  the  songs  of  his  joyous  child,  before  she 
was  cut  down  by  sickness  and  death.  O,  it  now 
seems  to  the  old  man  as  if  the  sun  was  worn 
out,  so  that  he  does  not  shine  as  he  once  did,  — 
as  if  the  stars  were  fading  away,  and  as  if  the 
rain-storm  left  its  clouds  behind  it !     The  thin 


256  THE   GREAT   CHANGE.  [Lect.  XH. 

The  bird's  egg.  The  journey. 


hair  on  his  head  is  white,  and  his  eyes  are  dim, 
and  his  ears  are  dull,  and  he  has  seen  many, 
many  changes.  Does  it  seem  to  these  little  boys 
and  girls  before  me  noAV,  so  bright  and  so  fair, 
that  they  will  ever  pass  through  changes,  so 
many  and  so  great  ]  O  yes !  The  little  child 
who  has  sickened  and  died  has  met  with 
changes  greater  than  any  which  the  oldest  man 
meets  with  in  this  life.  And  there  is  not  a 
child  present  who  will  not  pass  through  all 
these  changes.  Does  it  seem  as  if  the  little 
seed  which  you  hold  in  your  hand  could  be 
changed  into  a  tree^  Would  you  think  that 
the  little  spotted  bird's-egg  could  be  changed, 
and  become  a  thing  that  can  fly  and  sing'? 
Would  you  think  that  the  poor  worm  on  the 
ground  could  ever  be  changed  into  a  beautiful 
butterfly  \ 

"  We  shall  all  be   changed."     When   a   man 
leaves  his  house  to  go  a  long  journey,  where  he 


Lect.  XII.]  THE  GREAT   CHANGE.  2o7 

Departure.  The  return. 

never  was  before,  and  when  he  knows  not  when 
he  will  return,  there  are  two  occasions  of  great 
interest.  The  first  is,  when  he  leaves  his  home ; 
and  the  second,  when  he  returns  to  it.  When 
he  leaves,  how  much  the  family  talk  about  it ! 
He  tells  them  Avhat  to  do,  and  how  to  do.  lie 
makes  his  will.  He  comes  to  the  very  morning 
when  he  is  to  leave.  The  family  all  come  to 
the  table,  but  they  cannot  eat.  They  try  to 
talk  cheerfully,  but  under  it  all  they  are  sad. 
How  the  man  looks  upon  the  face  of  his  wife, 
and  each  of  the  children !  How  he  walks 
through  his  house,  wondering  in  his  heart  if  he 
shall  ever  see  these  things  again !  AVhen  he 
goes  out  to  begin  his  journey,  what  thoughts  are 
stirred  within  him,  as  he  turns  and  looks  again 
on  his  home  !  AVill  he  ever  see  it  again  ?  And 
how  the  family  feel  lonely  and  desolate  after  he 
has  gone !  When  will  they  see  him  again "? 
The   other    great    event    is    when    the   man 


258  THE   GREAT   CHANGE.  [Lkct.  XIl. 


Two  great  changes.  What  death  is. 

returns.  The  family  learn  the  name  of  the 
ship  in  which  he  is  to  come.  They  count  the 
days  she  will  be  likely  to  be  in  coming  across 
the  ocean.  They  watch  the  winds  and  the 
storms.  They  prepare  the  house  and  get  every- 
thing ready  to  give  him  a  warm  welcome.  They 
hear  that  the  ship  has  come  into  the  harbor ; 
and  now  they  watch  the  moment  when  the  cars 
or  the  carriage  Avill  come,  bringing  back  the 
wanderer.  And  when  he  reaches  home,  how 
the  children  run  out  and  shout  to  meet  their 
father  !  They  want  to  take  his  hand,  to  touch 
his  coat,  to  hang  upon  his  neck !  His  return 
to  his  home  is  a  great  event ! 

Now,  my  dear  children,  there  are  two  great 
changes  through  which  every  one  of  you  must 
and  will  pass.  I  mean  when  you  die,  and  leave 
that  body  in  which  you  live,  and  when  you 
return  to  it  at  the  resurrection  day.  Dying  is 
like  leaving  your  home  to  go  on  a  long,  long 
journey.     It  is  a  very  sad  time. 


Lect.  XII.]  THE   GREAT   CHANGE.  259 


Little  Emma  Clapp.  Conversation  with  her. 

Since  I  began  to  write  this  Lecture,  and  before 
I  could  finish  it,  one  of  our  lambs  has  been 
gathered  into  the  fold  of  the  Great  Shepherd. 
She  was  thirteen  years  an  inhabitant  of  this 
world.  Some  months  since  the  Spirit  of  God 
touched  her  heart,  and  taught  her  that  she 
was  a  lost  sinner.  She  came  to  talk  with  me 
alone  about  the  salvation  of  the  soul.  It  was 
a  time  when  none  of  my  dear  fiock  seemed  to 
want  to  be  led  to  the  Great  Shepherd,  and  I 
was  surprised  to  see  her.  A  few  minutes  con- 
vinced me,  as  I  talked  with  her,  that  she  had 
been  taught  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  She  wanted 
peace  of  mind,  deliverance  from  sin,  and  a  friend 
to  stand  by  her  for  ever. 

"  Emma,  have  you  learnt  that  you  are  a  sin- 
ner ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  I  feel  it,  and  more  and  more  every 
day." 

"  Have  you  asked  for  mercy  yourself?  " 


260  THE   GREAT   CHANGE.  [Lect.  XII. 


Emma's  experience. 


"  Yes,  sir,  every  day." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  in  the  habit  of 
daily  prayer?  " 

"  I  have  always  said  my  prayers,  but  I  do 
not  think  I  have  really  prayed  till  about  two 
months  ago." 

"  I  do  not  ask  you  what  it  is,  —  but  do  you 
know  what  your  easily  besetting  sin  is,  —  I  mean, 
the  sin  that  gives  you  the  most  trouble  1  " 

"  I  think  I  do,  sir ;  and  I  try  to  pray  against 
it,  and  to  kill  it !  It  is  mi/  temper,  sir !  But  I 
think  I  have  done  something  to  overcome  it." 

"  You  tell  me,  Emma,  that  you  want  to  make 
a  profession  of  religion.     Why  do  you  1  " 

"  Because,  sir,  Christ  has  told  us  to ;  and 
because  I  want  to  be  among  his  people ;  and 
because  I  may  die  early,  and  I  want  to  do  my 
duty,  as  fully  as  I  can." 

The  Saviour  was  set  before  her  as  our  right- 
eousness, and  her  faith  and  love  took  hold  of 
him  with  a  strong  grasp. 


Lect.  xii.j  Tim  grp:at  change.  261 

The  baptism.  Her  sick-room. 

On  the  next  occasion  of  celebrating  the  Lord's 
Supper,  little  Emma  came  out  in  the  aisle  of 
the  great  church,  and  before  the  great  congre- 
gation, and  stood  up  to  be  received  into  the 
church.  Her  father  was  dead,  and  her  mother 
was  away,  and  so  alone,  of  all  her  family,  she 
came.  She  was  small  in  size,  pale  as  a  lily, 
and  when,  in  her  simple  white  dress,  she  came 
to  me  to  have  the  water  of  baptism  sprinkled 
upon  her,  I  could  not  but  say,  as  I  baptized 
her,  "  Little  one,  God  is  able  to  make  thee 
stand !  "  She  was  the  youngest  in  the  church, 
and  probably  the  youngest  that  ever  joined  this 
church,  —  a  little  one  !  She  was  then  in  good 
health.  But  in  a  few  months,  on  my  return 
home,  I  heard  that  Emma  was  very  sick.  I 
hastened  to  her  bedside,  and  found  her  very 
dangerously  sick.  The  frail  body  seemed  to 
thrill  with  pain,  and  the  waves  rolled  deep  over 
her.      But  her   spirit,   like    some   white   marble 


262  THE  GREAT  CHANGE.  [Lect.  XIL 


Her  anxieties.  Fearless. 

on  which  the  finger  of  God  had  been  writing, 
came  out  clear  and  distinct,  and  showed  the 
writing  between  the  rolling  waves.  Her  mind 
was  clear  and  bright  as  a  summer's  morning, 
and  her  voice  like  a  silver  bell,  as  she  called 
her  friends  around  her  dying  bed,  and  calmly 
bade  each  one  farewell,  sending  a  particular 
message  to  every  little  schoolmate  and  friend 
who  was  absent,  exhorting  her  loved  ones  to 
come  to  her  Saviour,  assuring  them  that  it 
was  easy.  When  asked  by  her  pastor  what  he 
should  pray  for,  she  replied,  that  Christ  would 
take  her  to  himself!  She  spoke  of  going  home, 
and  being  almost  home;  and  upon  her  beau- 
tiful brow  and  meek  face  peace  and  hope  poured 
their  oil  of  gladness.  You  could  almost  hear 
the  wings  of  the  angel  who  came  for  his  charge. 
Death  had  no  sting,  the  grave  no  victory.  Not 
a  cloud  hung  over  her,  nor  the  shadow  of  a 
doubt  disturbed  her.     I  have  seen  strong  men 


Lect.  xil]  the  great  CnANGE.  2G3 

Perfected  praises.  Farewells. 

die,  and  aged  Christians  go  homo,  but  never 
before  saw  a  child  die  an  hundred  years  old ! 
I  have  heard  the  great  ocean  lift  up  his  voice 
and  speak  of  God,  and  I  have  heard  his  power 
proclaimed  in  the  thunders  as  they  rolled  among 
the  mighty  Alps,  but  I  never  before  heard  his 
praises  so  perfected  out  of  the  mouth  of  the 
babe. 

The  physician  was  very  anxious,  and  the  fam- 
ily were  in  great  distress,  and  the  watchers 
walked  softly  around  her  bed;  but  she  was  calm, 
and  clear  in  mind,  and  unalarmed.  She  was 
willing  to  leave  everything  concerning  herself 
with  her  Saviour.  But  the  next  night  she  was 
much  worse.  They  told  her  they  feared  she  was 
dying  !  Then  she  asked  to  see  each  one  of  her 
friends  separately,  that  she  might  bid  farewell 
to  each.  She  threw  her  arms  around  the  neck 
of  her  mother  and  sisters,  and  begged  them  to 
come   to   Christ  and   to  love   her  Saviour.     To 


264  THE   GREAT   CHANGE.  [Lect.  XH. 


Her  messages.  Shutting  of  the  lily. 

each  one  she  had  a  special  charge  to  give,  and 
to  each  little  girl   in    her  Sabbath-school   class 
she  sent  a  special  message.     Calm  and   gentle, 
with  the  mind  bright,  she  talked  of  her  hopes, 
her   faith,    her   love,    and    of  her    approaching 
death,  as  if  it  were  a  pleasant  journey  she  was 
about  to   take.     The    physician,  who   had  seen 
many  die,  old  and  young  and  middle-aged,  and 
who  had  read  of  the  happy  deaths  of  children, 
said    he    had    never    seen   or   read    of  anything 
like    this !      She    told   her    sister    and    intimate 
friends  how  easy  it  seemed  to  her   to  love   the 
Saviour,  and,  stretching  out  her  little  hand,  bade 
them    a    most    affectionate    farewell.      She    died 
gently  as  a  rose-bud  would  fall  from  its  stem, 
or  as  the  lily  would  fold  up  its  leaves  at  sun- 
setting,    and    go    to    sleep   for  the   night !      In 
less    time    than   I   can    describe    it    to  you,   she 
was  changed.     The  bright  eye  was  closed;  the 
sweet  voice  was  silent;   the  ear  heard  not;  the 


Lkct.  XII.]  THE   GREAT   CHANGE.  265 


Great  change  in  Knima.  What  became  of  her? 


hands,  wliite  as  the  sheet,  lay  still  on  her 
breast ;  the  sighing  was  over,  and  the  heart 
did  not  beat.  She  was  dead  !  What  a  change  ! 
Now  the  body  had  no  soul  m  it !  It  lay  like  a 
body  of  alabaster.  The  widowed  mother  and 
friends  stood  weeping  around  it.  But  where 
was  she  ]  Where  had  Emma  herself  gone  1 
That  cold  body  was  not  Emma,  —  any  more 
than  the  picture  shut  up  in  a  case  is  t-he  person, 
or  any  more  than  the  case  is  the  jewel  which 
is  in  it.  We  trust  she  had  gone  to  heaven,  — 
where  she  would  see  her  Saviour,  —  where  she 
would  see  the  bright  angels,  and  the  glorious 
spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  —  and  where 
she  would  meet  with  an  uncounted  number  of 
children,  who  were  suffered  to  come  unto  Christ, 
for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  !  What 
a  change  !  Here,  she  was  in  a  poor,  frail  body, 
full  of  disease  and  pain ;  there,  she  is  free 
from  all  pain  and  sickness.  Here,  she  was 
17 


266  THE  GREAT  CHANGE.  [Lect.  XH. 

Contrasts.  The  coffin-dress. 

listening  to  the  sobs  and  the  groans  of  her 
weeping  friends ;  there,  she  is  surrounded  by 
happy  ones  who  are  singing  the  songs  of 
heaven.  Here,  she  saw  her  minister  at  her 
bedside  pointing  her  to  Christ ;  there,  she  sees 
Christ  himself,  in  his  smiles  and  in  his  glo- 
ry. Here,  she  heard  prayer  and  supplications; 
there,  she  hears  praise  and  thanksgiving  and 
songs  of  joy.  Here,  she  saw  tears  and  weeping; 
there,  God  wipes  away  all  tears  from  all  eyes. 
Here,  she  felt  sick  even  unto  death ;  there,  she 
shall  no  more  say,  "  I  am  sick."  Here  the 
frail  lily  felt  the  cold  storms  and  the  chilling 
winds ;  there,  it  is  placed  in  the  garden  where 
no  storms  or  winds  come.     What  a  change  ! 

But  there  will  be  a  greater  change  still,  when 
her  spirit  will  one  day  come  back  to  that  grave, 
and  live  in  that  body  again !  When  she  lay  in 
the  coffin,  so  fair  and  so  beautiful,  dressed  in 
the   same  clothes    in  which    she  was  baptized, 


Lect.  XII.]  THE  GREAT  CHANGE.  267 

The  last  change.  Christ's  coming. 

she  looked  like  some  fair  creature  asleep. 
Those  looks  will  change,  that  dress  will  de- 
cay and  be  gone,  and  the  very  coffin  in  which 
she  sleeps,  and  the  great  stone  tomb  in  which 
she  was  laid,  will  wear  away  and  be  gone, 
and  forgotten  —  by  men  !  But  she  will  not 
be  forgotten  by  Christ.  He  knows  where 
each  one  of  his  friends  is  buried,  and  he  hath 
appointed  a  day  in  the  which  he  will  send  an 
angel  before  him,  as  a  king  sometimes  sends  a 
herald  before  him,  to  call  the  people  together 
to  whom  he  will  speak.  Christ  is  now  in  heav- 
en, making  dwellings  and  homes  for  his  friends ; 
but  at  the  end  of  all  things  he  will  come  back 
to  earth.  He  will  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven, 
with  all  the  holy  angels  with  him.  The  re- 
deemed spirits  of  heaven  will  come  with  him. 
What  a  light  will  fill  the  heavens,  as  he  sits 
down  on  "  the  great  white  throne "  !  One  of 
the  angels  will  descend  to  earth  with  a  shout ! 


268  THE  GEEAT  CHANGE.  [Lect.  XII. 

The  trumpet's  voice.  Graves  opened. 

He  is  the  archangel !  He  is  going  to  do  the 
greatest  work  ever  done  on  earth  by  any  created 
being.  He  is  now  to  sound  the  trumpet,  and 
awake  the  dead !  With  one  blast  of  the  trum- 
pet, he  makes  the  voice  reach  every  grave !  In 
an  instant,  even  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye, 
every  dead  man  and  woman  and  child  hears  his 
voice !  The  ground  heaves,  the  graves  that 
had  been  forgotten  for  thousands  of  years  are 
opened !  Out  of  the  deep,  deep  sea  they  come, 
—  from  every  hill-side,  from  every  valley,  from 
every  cavern  and  lonely  place,  from  buried  cities 
and  forgotten  places,  they  start  out  to  life ! 
"  We  shall  all  be  changed."  The  good  and  the 
bad,  the  old  and  the  young,  the  great  and  the 
small,  will  all  be  changed.  The  man  who  was 
murdered,  and  concealed  so  that  his  grave  was 
never  found,  will  then  come  back  to  life.  The 
grave  in  which  God  buried  Moses  will  then  be 
found,  though  no  man  knows  where  it  is  to  this 
day! 


Lect.  XII.]  THE  GREAT  CHANGE.  269 

How  the  wicked  forgotten  in  death. 

And  now,  dear  children,  how  many  are  there 
present  to-day  who  have  lived  more  than  thir- 
teen years  ?  And  you  see  that  every  one  of 
you  might  have  been,  even  at  that  early  age, 
a  Christian  !  Who  of  you  would  be  thus  pre- 
pared to  die,  should  you  be  thus  cut  down  be- 
fore another  Sabbath  ]  When  one  dies  who 
gives  no  evidence  of  being  a  Christian,  we  bury 
him,  and  say  nothing  about  him.  We  don't 
mention  his  name.  We  don't  want  to  think  of 
him !  But  when  even  a  little  child  dies,  leav- 
ing such  evidence  that  she  belonged  to  Christ, 
how  we  love  to  speak  of  her,  to  think  of  her, 
to  recall  her  words  and  looks !  Her  very  tomb 
is  beautiful.  A  silver  light  seems  to  rise  up 
from  it.  Long,  long  will  the  name  of  this 
child  linger  among  us,  and  her  life  and  her 
death  will  teach  every  child  that  he  can  and 
ought  to  be  a  Christian ;  and  it  will  teach 
every  one   in  this  whole  congregation,  that  he 


270  THE   GREAT   CHANGE.  [Lect.  XIL 

The  most  precioiis  thing  on  earth. 

has  no  excuse  and  no  apology  for  not  being 
a  Christian !  If  the  little  child  can  embrace 
Christ,  so  can  all  these  children,  so  can  all 
these  hearts !  O,  tell  me,  is  there  anything 
on  earth  which  you  would  not  give  to  be  able 
to  die  such  a  death]  Is  there  anything,  even 
the  whole  earth,  for  which  we  would  bring 
her  back  from  her  Saviour,  and  make  her  lose 
her  crown  1  O  no  '  "  The  child  shall  die  an 
hundred  years  old,  but  the  sinner  being  an 
hundred  years  old  shall  die  accursed." 

To  the  friends  of  Jesus  Christ  this  will  be 
a  blessed  change,  —  greater  than  the  man  feels 
who  has  been  a  long  time  away  from  his  home 
and  returns,  —  greater  than  the  sick  man  feels, 
when  he  gets  off  the  bed  of  pain,  and  can  ride 
out  and  see  the  beautiful  fields.  The  old,  feeble 
man  will  be  changed,  —  so  that  he  shall  now 
have  a  new  body,  young,  active,  and  strong. 
The  little  child,  crushed  by  sickness  and  death. 


Lect.  XII.]  THE  GREAT  CHANGE.  271 


The  blind  eyes  opened.  Ko  sickness. 


will  be  chano^ed,  —  so  that  she  will  never  asrain 
say,  "  I  am  sick."  That  poor,  helpless  one  who 
could  not  walk  a  step,  and  who  for  long,  long 
years  never  saw  a  day  of  health,  shall  be 
changed,  and  he  will  leap  like  a  hart  and  shout 
for  joy.  That  little  blind  child,  who  never  saw 
his  mother's  face,  or  the  bright  flowers  of  the 
garden,  or  the  smiles  of  his  father,  or  the 
forms  of  his  little  brothers  and  sisters,  will  be 
changed,  and  will  see  all  that  is  lovely  and 
beautiful  in  God's  new  creation ;  and  that  little 
mute  one,  w^ho  never  heard  the  voice  of  love, 
nor  the  sweet  sounds  of  music,  nor  the  words 
of  human  lips,  will  be  changed,  and  will  hear 
the  songs  of  angels  and  the  songs  of  saints 
in  heaven,  even  for  ever !  There  will  be  no  sick 
or  feeble  ones  then.  They  will  not  need  crutch- 
es to  help  them  to  walk.  They  will  not  have 
sick-rooms  or  sick-beds  there ! 

Sometimes    here    we    see   great  changes   take 


2T2  THE    GREAT   CHANGE.  [Lect.  XU. 

Surgeon's  knife.  The  pond-lily.  Tlie  diamond. 

place  in  wonderful  ways.  From  the  knife  and 
the  saw  of  the  surgeon  come  health,  and  joy. 
From  the  vials  and  drugs  in  the  apothecary's 
shop,  come  renewed  health  and  strength  to  the 
sick  man.  Who  would  think  that,  from  the 
dark,  cold  grave,  God  could  raise  up  new  bodies, 
bright  as  angels  and  beautiful  as  rainbows  ]  In 
the  bottom  of  the  pond,  far  down  in  the  deep 
mud,  is  buried  a  small  root.  Who  would  think 
that,  from  that  dark,  disagreeble  place,  God 
could  make  the  lily  grow,  till  it  rests  on  the  top 
of  the  waters,  and,  unfolding  its  white  leaves, 
looks  up  into  the  bright  heavens,  —  one  of 
the  purest,  whitest,  sweetest  things  that  ever 
grew  ]  Who  would  think  that  the  dark-brown 
pebble  which  the  tawny  Indian  child  picks  up 
at  the  foot  of  the  great  mountain  in  India, 
could  be  polished  so  as  to  be  a  diamond,  —  to 
be  set  in  the  crown  of  a  king,  and  to  be  kept  as 
a  thing  of  great  value,  from  age  to  age  1 


Lect.  XII.]  THE   GREAT   CHANGE.  273 

Stephen's  burial.  The  eggs  of  the  silk-worm  and  the  staves. 

They  laid  Christ's  body,  torn  by  the  crown  of 
thorns,  pierced  by  the  nails  and  the  spear,  all 
bloody  and  cold  and  dead,  in  the  tomb  ;   but  he 
was   changed,   and  how  glorious   was  he  when 
he  showed  himself  to  Saul   of  Tarsus,   and   to 
John,  his  beloved  disciple,  on  the  isle  of  Patmos ! 
They  laid  Stephen's  body,  all  bruised  and  man- 
gled with  stones,  in  the  grave ;  but  he  will  be 
changed,    and    Avill    come   from    that    grave    in 
brightness    and  glory.     They  buried  John    the 
Baptist  with  his  head  cut  off  by  the  wicked,  but 
he  will  come  from  that  grave  with  a  crown  of 
life  on  his  head ! 

Some  men  went  to  China  once,  and,  because 
they  were  forbidden  to  carry  the  silk-worm  out 
of  the  country,  they  hid  some  of  the  little  crea- 
ture's eggs  in  the  top  of  their  staves ;  and  so 
out  of  those  two  dry  staves  came  all  the  silk- 
worms and  all  the  silk  in  Europe  since  !  What 
a   wonder !     A    poor   rag-picker    takes    a  short 


274  THE   GREAT   CHANGE.  [Lect.  XIL 


The  rag-picker.  Eternal  change. 

stick  in  his  hand,  and  goes  into  the  dirty  gutters 
of  the  streets  of  the  city,  and  picks  up  little 
bits  of  rags  and  of  paper.  These  he  puts  into 
his  dirty  bag.  But  these  are  washed  and  made 
over,  and  come  out  the  pure,  white  sheet  of 
paper,  beautiful  enough  to  have  a  queen  write 
on  it !  Who  can  doubt  that  God  can  take  these 
poor  bodies,  and  out  of  them  raise  up  a  new  and 
better  body  1  Out  of  the  very  darkness  and  the 
bones  of  the  grave,  he  can  make  something  that 
will  be  brighter  than  the  sun  for  ever ! 

These  children  now  before  me,  so  young  and 
so  fair,  must  be  changed.  They  must  be 
changed  by  time,  as  it  makes  them  older;  by 
sickness,  as  it  withers  them,  as  the  worm  with- 
ers the  flower ;  by  death,  which  will  turn  them 
into  corpses  ;  and  by  Christ,  when  he  comes 
to  waken  all  the  dead !  O  child !  if  you  love 
that  Saviour,  if  you  please  him,  by  shunning 
what  he  forbids  and  domg  what  he  commands, 


Lkct.  xii.j  the  great  change.  275 

Eternal  change. 

if  you  live  to  please  and  honor  him,  you  shall 
be  changed,  and  become  like  the  blessed  Saviour 
for  ever,  —  holy,  glorious,  immortal  and  blessed 
for  ever ! 


THE    END. 


'^U  ,  'v_>OC    V- 


Date  Due 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  01040 


5944 


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